ove is all you need! And with Valentine’s Day in
mind, we have an issue packed with romance
for you this month. Forget Paris, the pages of
Shakespeare or Interﬂora, Craftseller is the real place
for love this Valentine’s Day…
In your February edition we have gorgeous handmade
treats to make and sell for romantics everywhere
including pretty felt heart decorations over on page
94, adorable fabric 'love birds' (p84), sweet cross stitch
love sign (p30) and adorable, cuddly knitted owl on page 74 – a very cute
companion who will never break your heart. And of course, we have our
affectionate crochet cover stars on page 16 – the love cats! This pair are
particularly great sellers with craft-lovers who collect amigurumi makes
with distinctive personality and fantastic attention to detail.
Feature-wise, check out our top ten tips for valentine makes on page
38 and over on page 79, we take you through the rise of the handmade
Valentine’s Day card. And ﬁnally, this month we’re giving you a FREE
52-page book of beautiful Oriental-themed papers – perfect timing for
celebrating Chinese New Year on January 31st!
Enjoy! See you next month!

ZEENA MOOLLA – EDITOR

74

Cuddle up with our
cosy, characterful
cushion this month

3 Craftseller

84

Sew a sweet pair of
love birds for newly
engaged couples

94

Shoppers will love
these sweet, felted
heart decorations

PAGE FLAG
50

this
Look at gorgeous
month’s rs!
e
free pap

Contents

OVER0
£105

OF PRIIZNE!S
TO W
PAGE 68

February 2014
62

22

74

43

30

Projects
16

27

28

30

34

Cool cats
Crochet cute, hipster cats to earn
serious style points for your range
30-minute make
Cute, vintage-style tags to sell
alongside Valentine’s Day gifts
Hydrangea heart
A romantic, fresh-ﬂower garland
that will draw in loved-up shoppers
Love is all around
This colourful cross stitch design is a
sure-ﬁre way to make a proﬁt
More than words
Get in on the trend for literary items
with these love story cufﬂinks

From junk to funk
Upcycle old maps to create a
charming lampshade
What a hoot!
Shoppers still love owls so this
colourful cushion is a must-make!
Love birds
This pair of pretty vintage birds are
perfect for early wedding sales
Make a crafty tenner
Craft a pretty heart decoration using
quality materials for a big proﬁt
More ways than one
Use coloured felt to make a garland,
table confetti and a sweet bouquet

BE AN INSIDER
We want to know what you think. After all, the more
we know about you the better placed we are to bring
you the best magazine possible. So we would like to
invite you to join our online reader panel ‘Insiders’.
Interested? Log on to www.immediateinsiders.com/
register to ﬁll out the short registration survey and
we’ll be in touch from time-to-time to ask for your
opinions on the magazine
and other relevant issues.
We look forward to hearing
from you soon.

Reader offer
Special gift

Subscribe today and
receive a vintage craft set!

40

16

Features
8

10

12

15

22

Making news
Get the lowdown on the latest
crafty news and views
Dear Craftseller
Your chance to share all your
crafting and selling success stories
Pin it!
Romance ﬁlls the air with these
pretty pink and delicate lace ideas
Stash it!
Buttons, beads, ribbons and more
for your Valentine’s Day makes
Real life: Illustrator Helen Lang
How falling in love helped Helen
ﬁnd success selling online

38

48

68

70

79

10 top tips for Valentine’s makes
Find out how to ensure this February
is one of your most proﬁtable times
Charity bakes
Bring out your inner baker and raise
cash for three great causes
Fab freebies
Enter now and you could get your
hands on some brilliant prizes
Diary of a craft-selling mum
Erica discovers that taking a break
isn’t as easy as it sounds
Handmade with love
Get in on the trend for handmade
Valentine’s Day cards!

89

98

100

106

Ask us!
Let our experts solve your craftselling queries with the best advice
My craft shop
Find out how these three successful
sellers make cash from their craft
Crafty courses
Choose from a range of inspiring
courses to expand your craft skills
Online loves
Check out our favourite makes
selling well on the web this month

e
Turn to page 102 for thos
all-important templates
Craftseller 5

DESIGNERS

Contributors
Meet three Craftseller designers who have
created projects just for you…

Liz Ward
Amigurumi guru, Liz, designed three cool
cats this month. Find them on page 16.
Amazingly, Liz only learned how
to crochet four years ago when a
friend taught her the basics. Soon
after, she began her own business,
amigurumibarmy.blogspot.co.uk. These
cats show oﬀ Liz’s cute, quirky style.
She uses minimal yarn for a look that
appeals to all ages and earns you a proﬁt!

Marie Parry
Say it with ﬂowers this month and make
a heart-shaped garland on page 28

Join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter
Become a fan of Craftseller on Facebook or follow
@craftsellermag on Twitter and you can take part in
competitions, share news, tips and more.

Marie can’t wait to share her love of

Copyright guidelines for projects
We have requested specific permission from authors, book
publishers and designers so that you can recreate and sell
the projects from this issue. Please credit the designer where
appropriate and when it has been requested. Craftseller is for
crafting enthusiasts who want to make beautiful, handmade
items to sell. You can individually make as many as you
wish to sell either for yourself, your local event, summer
fete or to raise money for charity. You cannot go into mass
production, which means you cannot manufacture in large
quantities, especially by machine. Please respect one
another’s copyright.

ﬂower arranging, especially at this time
of year, so make sure you try her heart
decoration on page 28, Marie has used
ﬂorals that look great but won’t break
the bank so you can make a pretty
proﬁt. If you’d like more inspiration visit
Marie’s new site, mimsﬂowershed.com.

Sarah Heys

Immediate Media Company Limited is working to ensure
that all of its paper is sourced from well-managed forests.
This magazine can be recycled, for
use in newspapers and packaging.
Please remove any gifts, samples
or wrapping and dispose of it at
your local collection point.

Feeling groovy? Send a message of love
with this colourful cross stitch on page 30
Sarah loves all types of craft, but cross
stitching is one of her passions. The
retro-style font on her latest project is
really fun to stitch and with Sarah’s use
of unusual blue and green shades you’ll
attract buyers young and old. Sarah is
charting editor on several UK craft titles.
Follow her at sarahheys.blogspot.co.uk.

EACH ADULT & SENIOR TICKET
IF ORDERED AT LEAST ONE WEEK BEFORE THE SHOW.

CRAFTY UPDATE

Making news
Welcome to your one-stop shop for all the latest
craft trends, dates and celebs…

SUPER
SITES
Our pick of
the best from the
world of online
this month…
somethingyoufancy.
co.uk
Lashings of lovely things
by independent British
crafters and designers.

3

great pieces of advice
from ‘queen of shops’

Mary Portas

1
2

Keep a notebook with you to record examples of good
marketing when you’re out and about.

Put yourself in the shoes of your customer. How can you
connect with them? What extras can you offer to attract
people? Don’t try anything too big too soon. Look at what
others are doing creatively for inspiration.

3

Make sure you get involved with the community and
partner with other businesses that complement you.
Make yourself an invaluable asset. Don’t forget to be upbeat
and have fun – people remember happy people!

Follow Mary on twitter @maryportas
for more tips and tweets in support
of independent businesses, or visit
her website at maryportas.com/
learn for information about courses
in marketing your small business.

8 Craftseller

thedesigntrust.co.uk
Fantastic advice on
everything from pricing
to photography when
setting up a business.

BAKING MAD!

baking
Did you know that sales of
%? We
equipment have risen by 80 aids!
hen
couldn’t live without our kitc

thecraftycrow.net
Visit the Valentine’s Day
section for ideas and
inspiration for the little
ones in your life who
love to craft too.

with
Get pinning hub
ft
the new cra om/
.c
at pinterest .
MakersUK

Best of British

To celebrate 20 years of business, Cath Kidston opened
her biggest shop yet in December – at 180 Piccadilly,
London. The 7070 sq ft store is packed with over 20,000
products, including an exclusive new Piccadilly Print
range. “When it first began in a small shop in Holland
Park, I never imagined we’d have over 100 stores across
the UK, Europe and Asia!” says founder Cath Kidston.

CRAFTY UPDATE

CRAFTY
EVENTS
Our pick of the
best crafty events
around this
month...
The Creative
Crafts Show
Sandown Exhibition
Centre, Surrey
23-25 January

t’s oﬃcial – Kirstie Allsopp is the nation’s
favourite creative celeb. In a recent survey
by Loveknitting.com for National Knitting
Week, the star of Kirstie’s Crafty Christmas was
voted best-loved celebrity knitter. The survey
also highlighted the dramatic rise in the trend
for knitting, pointing out that the number
of Google searches for ‘knitting and crochet’
increased by 70 per cent last year!

TWEET-TASTIC!

Talent
SPOT

Husband and wife team Rebecca
and Cameron Bailey-Price, who run the
handmade craft hub poppito.com, recently
became #SBS winners as part of Theo Paphitis’ Twitter
initiative for supporting small businesses. “Theo has
recognised our hard work and helped spread the word
about what we do,” says Rebecca. Find out how you
can take part too at theopaphitissbs.com.

IT WOULD SEEM THAT 2014 is
going to be a year of bright,
bold design, reﬂected in the
trend for funky, zigzag prints.
Seen on everything from cushions
and chairs to handbags and skirts,
it’s a trend that’s perfect for
livening up your spring craft stalls.
We’re thinking it would look great
on summer bunting, too.

Huge success
I STARTED THINKING ABOUT setting up my craft
business but I wasn’t sure where to begin until I saw
Craftseller – it was everything I wanted. So I booked
my ﬁrst craft fair and got busy making Christmas
decorations. Here’s a photo of me with my stall – it
was a huge success! Your Dandy Deer was so popular
I had to take orders! You’ve given me the conﬁdence
to get out there and make it work.

Three generations
WHEN I SAW THE pattern for the cute owls on the
cover of issue 25 it was just after my eight year old
granddaughter’s bedroom had been redecorated
with owl wallpaper and an owl theme. So, I decided
to make her a set of your crocheted owls and post
them to my granddaughter as a surprise. She was
delighted with them and has even mounted them on
their own branch so they can perch on a shelf in her
bedroom. I loved that ﬁrst issue so much I bought
a subscription and, after borrowing mine, so did
my daughter. Thank you Craftseller for all of the
enjoyment and useful information you bring to three
generations of my family, every single month.

GLYNIS ALDRED, NORTH SOMERSET
Ed: What a cute collection of owls, Glynis, we can
see why your granddaughter loved them. They look
great on their perch – maybe your granddaughter
will be one of our craft-selling stars of the future!

10 Craftseller

Christmas kickstarted Katie’s
new business

Creative streak
AFTER PUTTING CRAFTING ON the shelf
for a while, due to personal commitments,
you’ve helped me to feel creative and
motivated again! I’ve been working on
some new designs that are proving popular,
like this hand-painted porcelain teapot.
Craftseller has been such a useful source of
inspiration and just goes to show that you
can make a proﬁt from doing what you love.

I love the pinboard
page at the front of
every issue of your
mag, I’m in the process
of covering my walls
with them so I am just
a glance away from
inspiration! Poppytalk
offers the same sort of
fab image collections
under the inspiration
tab – love, love, love!

SAM THWAITE, RHYL

LETTERS

LIVING THE
DREAM

Star

CRAFTY
TALK

LETTER

Here are some
of our favourite
posts and tweets
this month…

MAKING MONEY FROM CRAFT was just a
dream until I found Craftseller. I had a name
– Red Cottage Crafts – but that was it. After
reading one issue, I signed up to my ﬁrst craft
fair. I enjoyed the buzz and my conﬁdence
grew, then I booked another fair, made sales
through Facebook and I’m now in proﬁt! I rely
on your advice as my biggest sellers so far are
the felt reindeers and the knitted owls.

@CraftsellerMag
had great fun crafting
with the free paper in
the mag this month!

@SCILLYSCARVES
I WOULD JUST LIKE to say how much I love the
projects in your magazine! I am a complete amateur,
especially at card-making, but I wanted to have a go
at the ‘cool couple card’ from issue 29. After what
felt like a very long time, I ﬁnally completed my card
and I was over the moon with the result! I have to
say, the instructions were simple to follow and the
papers and templates were included in the magazine
– what more can you ask for? Thank you so much for
giving me the inspiration to have a go!

J BLACKHURST, BY EMAIL
Ed: We love this design so we’re glad you do too.
Your card looks fantastic, not amateurish at all!

Can’t wait to get my
copy tonight, after a day
with 3 kids being sick! :’(

@SPECIALLIL

Polar party
THANK YOU FOR THE gorgeous polar bears. I took
to them straight away and created a whole family,
enlarging the template for the Mama and Papa bears.
Instead of the berets, I used ﬂowers for the girls and
placed beads on all of the scarves.

You have def
encouraged me to sell
my work. Love the mag.

@MKSYOUNG

REBECCA RYLANCE, BUTTERFLY BROWN CREATIONS
Ed: What a sweet family, Rebecca! Why not try
making the rest of the gang with the pattern for
Chilled-out Charlie’s friends on craft-seller.com?

migurumi style is really popular so
these cool kitties will be all the rage
at your next craft fair. They are taller
dolls than usual amigurumi, because they’re
standing up, but they’re made with simple
crochet stitches and use up very little yarn
so are great for turning a proﬁt. They are
crocheted in one piece from head to toe so
you can work quickly. We’ve used Sirdar Wash
‘n’ Wear Double Crepe DK for the clothing,
which gives a close texture, so there’s
minimal shaping and none of the stufﬁng will
show. These cats would be great as bespoke
makes – ask buyers to email you a photo, and
let your imagination do the rest.

How to make the crochet cats
Head and body
Using 3.5mm (UK 9, US E/4) crochet hook
and starting with head colour yarn, start with
6dc into magic ring. 6sts.
Round 1: 2dc into each st to the end. 12sts.
Round 2: (dc in the ﬁrst st, 2dc in the next
st) repeat to end. 18sts.
Round 3: (dc in the ﬁrst two sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 24sts.
Round 4: (dc in the ﬁrst three sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 30sts.
Round 5: (dc in the ﬁrst nine sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 33sts.
Round 6: (dc in the ﬁrst ten sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 36sts.
Round 7: (dc in the ﬁrst 11sts, 2dc in the

next st) repeat to end. 39sts.
Round 8: (dc in the ﬁrst 12sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 42sts.
Round 9-11: dc in each st to the end. 42sts.
Mark round 9 with a stitch marker.
Round 12: (dc2tog, dc in next ﬁve sts)
repeat to end. 36sts.
Round 13: (dc2tog, dc in next four sts)
repeat to end. 30sts.
Round 14: (dc2tog, dc in next three sts)
repeat to end. 24sts.
Round 15: (dc2tog, dc in next two sts)
repeat to end. 18sts.
Insert the toy eyes now. They go on the
marked round, 8 stitches apart
Round 16: (dc2tog, dc in next st) repeat to

CROCHET IT

end. 12sts
Stuff the head now.
Change to jumper yarn colour – red for Tom,
yellow for Sally and white for Richard.
Round 17: dc into each st to the end. 12sts.
Work an uncounted round of slip stitches.
Round 18: (dc in the ﬁrst three sts, 2dc in
the next st) repeat to end. 15sts.
Round 19: (dc in the ﬁrst four sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 18sts.
Round 20: (dc in the ﬁrst ﬁve sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 21sts.
Round 21: (dc in the ﬁrst six sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 24sts.
Round 22: (dc in the ﬁrst seven sts, 2dc in
the next st) repeat to end. 27sts.
Round 23: (dc in the ﬁrst eight sts, 2dc in
the next st) repeat to end. 30sts.
Round 24: (dc in the ﬁrst nine Sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 33sts.
Round 25: (dc in the ﬁrst ten Sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 36sts.
Round 26 & 27: dc in each st to the end.
36sts.
Work a round of uncounted slip stitches.
Change to trouser yarn colour – blue for Tom,
mint for Sally and lime for Richard
Round 28: dc in each st to the end. 36sts.
Round 29: (dc2tog, dc in next seven sts)
repeat to end. 32sts.
Round 30: (dc2tog, dc in next six sts) repeat
to end. 28sts.
Round 31: (dc2tog, dc in next ﬁve sts) repeat
to end. 24sts.
Stuff the body now.
Split to make the legs. Put a pin or stitch
marker through the stitch on the last row
that is at the centre front of your cat. The
easiest way to do this is lay your cat on
a hard surface facing forward and ﬂatten
slightly. Find the middle of the eyes with
your pin and then run it straight down the
body of the cat and attach it to the stitch on
the last worked row.

1st leg
Round 32: dc in each skipping the marked st
and the next 11sts. 12sts.
Round 33: dc2tog, dc in each st to the end.
11sts.
Round 34 & 35: dc in each st to the end.

11sts.
Round 36: dc2tog, dc in each st to the end.
10sts.
Round 37: dc in each st to the end. 10sts.
Change to boot colour Grey for Tom, yellow
for Sally, blue for Richard.
Work an uncounted round of slip stitches.
Mark the centre front of the boot with a pin.
Round 38: dc in each st till one st before the
pin, (dc, 2htr) in next st, htr in next (remove
pin before working) (2htr, dc) in next, dc in
each remaining sts to end. 14sts.
Round 39: dc in each st to the end. 14sts.
Round 40: (dc2tog, dc in next ﬁve sts) repeat
to end. 12sts. Stuff the leg now.
Round 41: (dc2tog) repeat to end. 6sts.

2nd leg
Rejoin yarn to any stitch at the back of the
body on round 31.
Round 32: dc in each st. 12sts.
Round 33-41: work as for 1st leg.
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail and pull
through loop to secure.
Using a wool needle, weave the yarn
through the last 6 stitches and pull tight
to close. Weave in yarn ends and cut off
remaining yarn.

Work the face
Use black embroidery thread and embroider
the face using the photo as a guide. Use long
stitches to form the mouth and whiskers and
shorter ones to make the nose.

Arms
Make two using 3.5mm (UK 9, US E/4)
crochet hook.
Start in the same yarn used for the
head: yellow for Tom, pink for Sally and
grey for Richard.
Start with 6dc into magic ring. 6sts.
Round 1: (dc in the ﬁrst st, 2dc in the next
st) repeat to end. 9sts.
Round 2: dc into each st to the end. 9sts.
Round 3: (dc2tog, dc in next st) repeat to
end. 6sts.
Change to red yarn for Tom, yellow for sally
and white for Richard.
Round 4 & 13: dc into each st to the
end. 6sts.
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail and pull
through loop to secure.

Stuff and sew in place on the body.

Ears
Make two using 3.5mm (UK 9, US E/4)
crochet hook.
Start in the same yarn used for the
head, yellow for Tom, pink for Sally and
grey for Richard.
Start with 4dc into magic ring. 4sts.
Round 1: (dc in the ﬁrst st, 2dc in the next
st) repeat to end. 6sts.
Round 2: (dc in the ﬁrst two sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 8sts.
Round 3: (dc in the ﬁrst three sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end.10sts.
Round 4: (dc in the ﬁrst four sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 12sts.
Round 5: (dc in the ﬁrst ﬁve sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 14sts.
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail and pull
through loop to secure.
Sew in place on the head (don’t sew Tom’s
on until you’ve made his hat).

Tom’s hat
Make using 3.5mm (UK 9, US E/4) crochet
hook and pale blue yarn.
Start with 6dc into magic ring. 6sts.
Round 1: 2dc into each st to the end. 12sts.
Round 2: (dc in the ﬁrst st, 2dc in the next
st) repeat to end. 18sts.
Round 3: (dc in the ﬁrst two sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 24sts.
Round 4: (dc in the ﬁrst three sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 30sts.
Round 5: (dc in the ﬁrst nine sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 33sts.
Round 6: (dc in the ﬁrst ten sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 36sts.
Round 7: (dc in the ﬁrst eleven sts, 2dc in
the next st) repeat to end. 39sts.
Round 8: (dc in the ﬁrst twelve sts, 2dc in
the next st) repeat to end. 42sts.
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail and pull
through loop to secure.

Brim
Using 3.5mm (UK 9, US E/4) crochet hook
and blue and white yarn. Starting with blue.
Note this is not worked in the round, so ch1
and turn at the beginning of each row.
Ch 5.
Row 1: dc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in each st

Craftseller 19

CROCHET IT

to end. 4sts.
Row 2: ch1, turn, dc in each stitch. 4st.
Change to white yarn.
Repeat row two, 38 times. Work two rows
white then two rows blue to form stripe.
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail and pull
through loop to secure.
Use the photo as a guide and sew in place to
the bottom edge of the hat.

Tom’s scarf
Using 3.5mm (UK 9, US E/4) crochet hook
and blue and white yarn. Starting with blue.
Note this is not worked in the round, so ch1
and turn at the beginning of each row.
Ch 5.
Row 1: dc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in each st
to end. 4sts.
Row 2: ch1, turn, dc in each stitch. 4sts.
Change to white yarn.
Repeat row two until scarf measures 25cm
(10in), working two rows white, then two
rows blue to form stripe.
Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail and pull
through loop to secure. Weave in any loose
ends and tie round neck.

Sally’s skirt
Using 3.5mm (UK 9, US E/4) crochet hook
and bright pink yarn.
Ch 36.
Sl st to form a loop (careful not to twist).
36sts.
Round 1: (dc in the ﬁrst 11ch sts, 2dc in the
next ) repeat to end. 39sts.
Round 2: (dc in the ﬁrst 12 sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 42sts.
Round 3: (dc in the ﬁrst 13 sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 45sts.
Round 4: (dc in the ﬁrst 14 sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 48sts.
Round 5: (dc in the ﬁrst 15 sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 51sts.
Round 6: (dc in the ﬁrst 16 sts, 2dc in the
next st) repeat to end. 54sts.
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail and
pull through loop to secure. Weave in
any loose ends and sew in place at bottom
edge of jumper.

Sally’s head band
Using 3.5mm (UK 9, US E/4) crochet hook

20 Craftseller

STITCH TIP
For uncounted round of
sl st, make a round of sl
sts, but on next round
go into dc sts from
previous round

and grey yarn.
Note this is not worked in the round, so ch1
and turn at the beginning of each row.
Ch 7.
Row 1: dc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in each st
to end. 6sts.
Row 2: ch1, turn, dc in each stitch. 6sts.
Repeat row 2 until headband measures round
the head.
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail and pull
through loop to secure. Place round the head
and sew the ends together weave in any
loose and cut off.
Glue ﬂower motif in place for decoration.

Sally’s neck cowl
Using 3.5mm (UK 9, US E/4) crochet hook
and grey yarn.
Note this is not worked in the round, so ch1
and turn at the beginning of each row.
Ch 5.
Row 1: dc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in each st
to end. 4sts.
Row 2: ch1, turn, dc in each stitch. 4sts.
Repeat row 2 until headband measures 35cm
(14in).
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail and pull
through loop to secure. Sew the ends
together, weave in any loose ends and cut
off. Wrap around the neck.

Richard’s bow tie
Using 3.5mm (UK 9, US E/4) crochet hook
and red yarn.
Note this is not worked in the round, so ch1
and turn at the beginning of each row.
Ch 5.
Row 1: dc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in each st
to end. 4sts.
Row 2-4: ch1, turn, dc in each stitch. 4sts.
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail and pull
through loop to secure. Wrap the yarn round
the centre of the square a few times and pull
tight. Sew in place on the neck.

Richard’s braces
Make 2 using 3.5mm (UK 9, US E/4) crochet
hook and blue yarn.
Ch 22.
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail and pull
through loop to secure. Sew in place on either
side of the body.

Richard’s glasses
Use bendable jewellery wire and twist
together to form the glasses shape.
Use glue to secure black yarn to the one end
of the wire and wrap around till all the wire is
covered. Glue yarn end in lace and cut off.

SAFETY FIRST These cats are not designed as
toys, or for young children. Always ensure
your work is well-stitched and loose parts
are securely attached. Remember, if you
intend to sell them, even if they're not
sold as a toy, there are strict regulations
to adhere to. Visit craft-seller.com/freedownloads for advice on child safety.

Channel the amigurumi trend by
creating a special section of your online
shop or website dedicated to your
amigurumi makes, then add a ‘pin it’ button
so others can share it on Pinterest.

2
3
4
5
6

These cats need back stories! Get
creative with their likes, dislikes and
hobbies. Buyers will love the detail.

Three's a crowd! Why not create a
fourth or ﬁfth character in the set?
Choose a style and give them a name.
Make cute mini accessories to
accompany each cat, such as a milk
bottle, a bag of catnip or a little ﬁsh.

Offer colour customisation. Rather
than second-guessing your buyers,
offer to make the cats in three shades
of their choice and charge an extra fee.
Make paw print and ﬁsh bone stamps
by carving rubbers and create your
own funky packaging!

Broaden the range further by
crocheting lots of little kitties in a
wealth of colours to make them
collectable items.
Forge a connection between maker
and buyer by adding interesting crafty
facts to your product: This kitty took
3 hours to make, used 2 balls of yarn, I
consumed 8 cups of tea and 12 biscuits, etc…

10

Shoot fun product photography.
Richard could be at the ofﬁce on
the laptop, Sally at the gym and
Tom at the farmer’s market!

NOW SELLING ON...

Etsy: Amigurumi Cat by Rotten
Monster, £28.74

Etsy: Maisie the ballerina kitten by
Blue Agapathus, £7.99

Etsy: Sun the Stripy Cat by
CuddlyandSoft, £37.83

Craftseller 21

REAL LIFE

My craft business
is all about love!
B

efore we even get in to Helen Lang’s
ﬂat, we’re greeted by an adorable
bundle of fur in the shape of Border
Terrier Desmond, who can’t wait to say
hello. Illustrator Helen admits she’s used
to being upstaged by her adorable dog as
she puts the kettle on and tidies away her
paints. Working from her small living room
in South London, every available space is
crammed full of paper, paints and gorgeous
prints ready to be packed up and sent to
happy customers – and with Valentine’s
Day on the horizon, there’s a lot of work
waiting for the postman.
It’s impossible not to smile when you see
all of Helen’s personalised prints stacked
up ready for happy couples all around the
UK to receive. Helen, 36, admits that falling
in love helped her change to a style which
makes her handmade prints so popular
at this time of year. The illustrator also
reveals how she grew her business from
pitching up at every market to having the
conﬁdence to approach John Lewis…
“Three years ago I was working for a
publishing company in Camden, North
London and getting utterly fed up with
my commute from South London every
day. Anyone who has been in Camden ﬁrst
thing on a Monday morning will know
it’s hardly the most glamorous of places –
especially when you arrive at work to ﬁnd
the police ﬁshing a body out of the canal
next door! The company I was doing design
work for was great, but the recession was

22 Craftseller

biting and I knew they were in trouble. I’d
always been an illustrator, but while I was
having to work for someone else, I started
working on my own designs, too. Another
person at the company was getting a group
of artists together to exhibit their work
and I jumped at the chance. I did a small
run of limited edition prints and couldn’t
believe it when they all sold out. This gave
me the conﬁdence to start preparing to go
freelance and sell my own work.

“I decided to contact
John Lewis and to my
surprise they asked me in
for an interview”
“Soon after that the company went into
administration and I was made redundant.
I’d spent six months saving money, ﬁnding
an agent and getting designs together,
but it was still scary making the leap and
starting out on my own. When I told my
mum that I was going to sell my own
artwork all she could say was: ‘But how will
you pay the mortgage!’ She thought I was
mad and maybe I was a bit, but I thought if
I don’t try now I never will. It was around
the same time that I met my partner
Danielle and falling in love meant my work
became a bit more lovey dovey, too.

“I didn’t have a business plan at all –
which I’m a bit embarrassed to admit – but
in June 2011 I set up my Etsy shop and
started signing up to every market going.
I did everything from big trade fairs to
school fêtes and made anything from £10
to £700. I had an old laptop and went to
the local library to use their A2 scanner. I
said yes to everything. I was exhibiting in
cafés and picking up online retailers. Some
worked and some didn’t, but I soon learnt
which were right for me. Things were
starting to go well, so one day I decided to
contact John Lewis and to my surprise they
asked me in for an interview and decided
they wanted to print my designs on to
wash bags. I blagged it a bit and I think
they thought I had a much bigger business
than just me and my dog Desmond in my
lounge. Luckily they liked my work enough
to put me in touch with a manufacturer
and before I knew it my products were in
John Lewis stores all over the UK. I’m very
glad now that I wrote that email, closed my
eyes, crossed my ﬁngers and hit send!
“Up until this point, I wasn’t doing any
personalised prints and I have to thank a
complete stranger for giving me the idea!
I was doing large personalised paintings,
but I couldn’t ﬁgure out how I could
produce them quicker and cheaper. I got
chatting to a lady on a stall near mine who
suggested I took a design, made some space
on it and simply set it up as a template so
I could just add each person’s details as

Photos: Teri Pengilley/UNP

Helen Lang puts her signature style down to falling in love, and
it’s certainly proved to be a recipe for success… By Karen Dunn

Clockwise from left: Helen and Desmond the Border
Terrier relax at home surrounded by some of Helen’s
intricate prints; you might have spotted some of
Helen’s designs on the shelves in your local Tesco;
ﬁnding a way to create personalised artwork quickly
and simply was the turning point for Helen’s business

REAL LIFE

Helen’s top
three tips
Get the right stockists for you
When I started out I was just so pleased that
people liked my stuff that I agreed to every offer
and stocked it everywhere, but actually I ﬁnd
that if you have just a few stockists who really
believe in your work, like the Calm Gallery did
with me, you do sell more in the long run.

Always ﬁnd out where your
shoppers ﬁrst heard of you
If you sell at markets as well as online or
through other outlets, it’s always a good idea to
ask your shoppers where they heard about you
so you can work out which markets, websites
or shops are working for you. I’ve done some
markets where I’ve sold nothing on the day, but
got tons of sales later online so it turned out that
they were worth doing after all. If I didn’t ask I
wouldn’t know which were a waste of money.

Do a focus group
I was doing a workshop one day and one
woman told me that my dinosaur design was
a little bit babyish for her taste. I changed it
to suit her style better and now it’s one of my
best-sellers. Hearing that one comment in my
workshop was like running a free focus group,
which is brilliant because while friends will give
you an opinion, they won’t want to hurt you so
they often won’t be as honest as you need.

From top: All of Helen’s work
uses her signature, romantic
style; Helen starts every design
by hand; this South London
home is a haven of love

needed. It suddenly seemed so obvious, but
it completely revolutionised my business.
I signed up to Not On The High Street,
because they particularly love personalised
presents, and my sales grew and grew.
“It’s lovely being a part of people’s
important occasions. I still do a few bespoke
prints and I’m currently working on one for
a couple who are using it for their wedding
invitations and place settings. It’s a lot of
pressure to get it just right, because it’s such
an important part of their special day, but
it’s lovely to get the opportunity to be so
creative, too.
“I’ve had some celebrities hanging my
work in their homes as well. Adele and
Lauren Laverne both have my prints and
the author India Knight was given one. She
actually tweeted about it at the time and I
ended up getting tons of hits on my website

24 Craftseller

that day, so it seems a bit of celebrity
endorsement really does work!
“I love working from home, there’s
nothing quite like being able to get a

“Adele and Lauren
Laverne both have my
prints in their homes”
bacon sandwich whenever you want
and having a dance around your lounge.
However, it is getting a bit cramped in here
now with my stock hidden everywhere, and
my printer is taking over the whole lounge.
I don’t have space to screenprint so I go to
this fantastic guy’s studio in Debenham,
Suﬀolk. I drink a lot of tea and look out

at the countryside and try and spot barn
owls while he does all the hard work. I’ve
recently started doing more design work
for companies like Tesco on the side, but
nothing compares to the day when I realised
that my Etsy sales were comfortably paying
my mortgage – it was then that I knew I
had a really successful business in Wetpaint.
This year, I’m planning on moving house
so I have somewhere bigger to work and
then –ﬁnally – the London commute may be
behind me forever.”

WetpaintArt
To see more of Helen’s pretty
personalised prints, visit
WetpaintArt on etsy.com or
follow her (and Desmond) on
Twitter at @Helen_Wetpaint

Enjoy the extra large 11 ¼” long arm (285mm) sewing space
for those big quilting and sewing projects.
Relax as the precision feed helps you breeze through intricate
decorative stitches and effortless free motion.
Enhance your creations with amazing embroidery and embellish
with lettering from the many built-in styles.

Three-heart love tag
Cut a tag shape approx.
6.5 x 11.5cm (2 x 4 in)
from Kraft card. Punch
a hole 0.5cm ( in) from
the top. Stamp the word
LOVE onto an old book page
and trim around. Stick
to the tag. Punch three
mini hearts and stick to
the bottom of the tag with
foam pads. Thread with
twine and tie.
2

Map-heart love tag
Cut a tag shape approx. 6.5cm x 11.5cm
(2 x 4 in) from Kraft card. Punch a hole 0.5cm ( in) from the
top. Punch two large hearts from an old map and stick to the card
using foam pads. Die-cut the word ‘Love’ from red cardstock and
stick to the hearts. Thread twine through the hole at the top and tie.
3

he usual dozen red roses can be a bit
predictable, so woo the Valentine’s
Day buyer with this stunning
alternative to a bouquet. This sumptuous
hydrangea wall hanging in soft, fresh green
has three peachy pink roses nestling at its
heart. Wonderful to hang if you’re cooking a
romantic evening meal! We’d even suggest
this would be a good all-year-round seller
and worth adding to your creative repertoire
with wedding celebrations in mind. Also,
make sure you tell shoppers that hydrangea
still look great when the ﬂowers have dried,
so it won’t just be a short-lived romance!

How to make the
hydrangea heart
Give your hydrangeas a really good
drink. Soak the Oasis heart by dropping
it into a sink or bucket of water and allow it
to absorb the water for around 10 mins or so.
Do not push the Oasis into the water as this
will create air pockets inside the material and
prevent some stems from getting water.

1

the Oasis from the water and
2 Remove
round off the edges by rubbing gently
or trimming with a sharp knife. Attach a loop
of ribbon to the reverse of the Oasis heart
using a couple of moss pins.

Use scissors or a ﬂorist’s knife to
carefully split each head of hydrangea
into smaller clumps, making sure you keep
the stem of each clump in tact so you can
push it into the Oasis.

3

First create a border of hydrangea
around the edge of the heart, by
simply pushing each clump ﬁrmly into the
Oasis. Next add a line of hydrangea across
the middle of the heart and down the centre,
effectively splitting the heart into quarters.
Now ﬁll in each quarter of the heart with
more hydrangea, placing the clumps close
together to give it a really full look. Continue
until the heart is ﬁlled with hydrangea and
the green Oasis is completely hidden.

4

Trim three pink roses so their stems are
around 2.5cm (1in) long. Push them
into the Oasis in a cluster in the top left side
of the heart as shown, to ﬁnish.

5

TOP TIP
Begin by hydrating
the hydrangea. Plunge
it into a bath of water,
so heads and stems
are submerged

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!
Tweet us your tips and advice, and follow our own tweets @craftsellermag

Craftseller 29

STITCH IT

30 Craftseller

STITCH IT

MAKEI TA!
PROF

£10
MAKE FOR

FOR £20

Love is all around
This sweet cross stitch sign will add a little colour and
romance to your craft stall. By Sarah Heys

ross stitching is all the rage at
the moment, so you’ll be onto a
winner if you reﬂect this trend in
your craft range. Our fresh, modern design
will happily sit in any room of the house,
and the colour palette used would suit
both male and female buyers – it’s not too
ﬂoaty and feminine! Mount your ﬁnished
work in a simple white frame, as we have
here, to highlight the beautiful lettering. You
could also mount it in a circular frame for a
different look altogether – a wooden framing
hoop would add more of a vintage feel.

How to stitch the ‘Love is
all around’ sampler
Fold the aida in half one way and then
the other to ﬁnd the centre of your
fabric and mark it. If you prefer to place your
work in a stitching hoop, do that now. Start
stitching from the centre of the chart.

1

chart being careful to check the
2 Follow
colours used in the key as a lot of
similar shades are used in the design.

3

Once ﬁnished, press the fabric then
trim and mount it in a frame.

SELL MORE
Offer to change
the colour of the
lettering to
suit your shoppers’
style and taste

DAVID personally guarantees that if you have a problem or simply require a service for the lifetime of your machine, he will
arrange a FREE COLLECTION/DELIVERY, to and from your door for any machine bought from him. There will be no charge
for repairs if machine is under warranty.

ufﬂinks make a great gift for men and
these attractive designs with little
snippets of literature can be adapted
for all sorts of occasions. For Valentine’s Day
or wedding season, why not use text from a
romantic novel or poem? These cufﬂinks are
created from a love poem by John Donne.
They are really easy to make as you can buy
self-adhesive epoxy resin squares that simply
stick onto the text. This is much easier than
trying to keep the cufﬂinks ﬂat while you
wait for liquid resin mix to set! Find them at
jasminstudiocrafts.com in all shapes and sizes.

36 Craftseller

1 Select an area of text for the cufﬂink.
This can be an actual page from a book,
or you can scan the page and print it out.
Printing onto good quality paper will give you
a better ﬁnish. For Valentine's Day, perhaps
choose an area of text that includes the
words 'love', 'cherish' or 'adore'.

2 Carefully stick the clear epoxy sticker onto
the text so that it is in line, smoothing out
the text on the reverse to remove any air
bubbles. Cut out the text, keeping as close to
the edge of the sticker as you can.

3 Measure and cut a 16 x 16mm (¾ x ¾in)
square of paper for a template. Lay onto the
grey board and cut out two pieces.

4 Apply a small amount of strong jewellery
glue to the cufﬂink setting and stick one piece
of grey board into the cufﬂink.

5 Ensure the swivel bar on the cufﬂink is
horizontal. Add glue over the grey board,
insert the epoxy resin square and push into
the setting. Leave to dry.

6 Repeat the process to make a second
cufﬂink. Leave both to dry for 24 hours and
package to sell as a Valentine's gift.

Get your craft on for Valentine’s Day and make some
money with these ideas that are guaranteed to set your
customers’ hearts aﬂutter! By Verity Gough

W

ith Valentine’s Day just around the corner, canny craft sellers can take
advantage of the thousands of couples out there looking for that perfect
gift to show their loved one just how special they are. Whether you make
jewellery, clothing or paper-based crafts, tweaks to your designs and a dose of luxe
embellishment can turn your makes into gorgeous Valentine’s gifts. While chocolates,
roses and perfume are enduring classics, the market for handmade is more popular than
ever. Read our top tips to get those buyers’ hearts racing for your gorgeous creations!

1

Be prepared to
personalise

Personalisation is big business and makes
that can be quickly customised will be
great sellers for Valentine’s Day. “You never
know which piece of your existing stock
will be selected to mark Valentine’s Day,”
says jewellery designer, Harriet Bedford
(harrietbedford.com). “Last year, a customer
bought my Sycamore pendant for his wife.
They’d had their ﬁrst date under a sycamore
tree and it had become a symbol of their
partnership. I was able to turn the piece
into the perfect Valentine gift by asking the
client to provide a personalised note
which I wrote on an elegant card.”

38 Craftseller

Tag online items with
‘Valentines’ so they
appear in searches

2

Flower power

Roses are eternally romantic and by far
the most popular gift given on Valentine’s
Day. But if ﬂower arranging isn’t your bag, fear
not, says Gloucestershire-based ﬂorist, Marie
Parry of Mim’s Flowershed (facebook.com/
MimsFlowerShed): “Dress your table or stall
with romantic blooms and it’s sure to pull the
crowds. Make simple ﬂoral garlands to dress
the edges of your table, or mini corsages to
give free with sales over £10,” she suggests.

3

Naughty but nice

If you want to branch out, consider
making lingerie. Sumptuous lace and pretty
embellishments are a must: “My frilly vintage
knickers are popular because they’re a bit
cheeky, a bit ﬂirty and the vintage prints
really appeal,” explains Verity Warne (Made
by Loulabelle on folksy.com) “When I sell at
markets or stalls, it’s mostly women who buy
them, but online it’s often men – I think they
feel a bit braver when it’s not face-to-face!”

6

Loco for cocoa

Loved ones will always appreciate chocolate and you don’t need to be an expert baker
to whip up some chocolate fudge or decadent trufﬂes. Simply package in boxes tied with
ribbon for the perfect, cost-effective gift. Sisters Linda O’Brien and Philippa Chevalier set up
Cocoapod Chocolates (cocoapod.co.uk) in Orpington and create fun, colourful personalised
chocolates – they are inundated around Valentine’s Day. “Our ‘build a block’ chocolate is very
popular – people spell out all kinds of weird and wonderful things,” says Linda. Her top tip is
to keep your creations fun: “Everyone loves chocolate so you can’t go too far wrong!”

7

Take heart

Probably most synonymous with
Valentine’s Day is the humble heart. “This
classic motif can be used in so many ways:
to decorate your home, give as a gift or as
a table decoration for a special meal,” says
Amy Mortimer, who sells her gorgeous
makes at Elsie & Fleur (elsieandﬂeur.co.uk).
Add heart motifs to cards, embellish makes
with heart-shaped buttons or heart-printed
ribbon or create wire hearts to hang on your
stall. There’s no end of ways you can use this
versatile shape to add a touch of romance.

Verity’s vintage designs
make a quirky present
for stylish women

4

Be different

iPad covers like this one
from toggle.co.uk make
the perfect gift for men

Wrapping is a simple way of making
your items into a special Valentine’s
gift. Pretty paper, silk ribbons and luxe
embellishments will give parcels the wow
factor. “Valentine-up a regular product
by adding gift tags, ribbon and sprinkling
heart-shaped sequins in the layers of
wrap,” suggests Harriet. “Having an
inexpensive toolbox like this prepares
you for every eventuality.”

10

Don’t forget him!

‘He’ can be difﬁcult to buy for
at the best of times, but you can easily
add some makes for men into your
range. “Gadget cases are popular, with
the addition of a discrete Valentine
embellishment, the gift becomes even
more special,” says Amy. Creating unisex
items in masculine textures and colours
will broaden their appeal.

Crafternoon Tea’s sweet craft kits are
a great alternative for Valentine’s. “Our reusable sandwich bag is perfect for a winter
picnic,” says co-founder Gemma Green.
“Tweak the kit to include a pattern or design
that’s personal to you, then every lunchtime
they’ll remember that wonderful day!”

Cute hearts
will always be
popular with
Valentine’s
shoppers

5

Sweet smelling

Perfume is another Valentine’s staple,
so why not create candles or soaps at
a fraction of the cost? Anthony Allen of
bakewellsoap.co.uk suggests rose-geranium
and ylang ylang when scenting your creations:
“Ylang ylang is a natural
aphrodisiac which enhances
and stimulates passion –
it’s sure to boost your
Valentine’s sales.”

9

Pretty-up your makes
with packaging!

8More than words

Text can be seen emblazoned across
all kinds of makes from clothing, bags and
cards to jewellery and furniture. It’s a is a
quick and easy way, on-trend way to create
a heartfelt sentiment without personalising
each item. Harriet recommends adding
a short verse, appropriate phrase or even
one beautiful word in a font of your choice to
make your item more than just a possession.

Craftseller 39

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Offer romantic shoppers a little piece of heaven with a selection of
indulgent treats, handmade with love. By Jessica Sharp

We love...
Rich colours
and decadent
ďŹ&#x201A;avours

Craftseller 43

BAKE IT

F

all head-over-heels in love with our
sumptuous bakes this month, perfect
for serving up at a Valentine’s Day craft
fair or special event. This head-turning red
velvet cake looks stunning and irresistible,
with its contrast red-and-white colouring and
rich ﬂavour. You could serve it by the slice
served on vintage crockery, for shoppers
to nibble on as they browse. Cupcakes are
always popular too, and our fabulous vanilla
rose designs complete with golden butterﬂy
decoration and luscious butter icing are sure
to sell out. Finally, rich, dark trufﬂes drizzled
with chocolate and strawberry will look
beautiful when presented in a little gift box,
or a crinkly, ribbon-topped cellophane bag.
Your shoppers will love you forever!

Combine the ﬂour, cocoa, baking
powder, bicarbonate of soda and a
pinch of salt in a bowl. In another bowl,
cream together the butter and sugar, beating
well until the mixture is pale and ﬂuffy. Beat
in the food colouring and the vanilla. Add
two tablespoons of the dried ingredients,
followed by one egg, and beat well. Add
another two spoonfuls of the dry ingredients,
then the other egg, and beat again before
incorporating the rest of the dry ingredients.
Pour in the buttermilk and vinegar and beat
until you have a smooth mixture.

2

Divide the cake batter evenly between
the three tins (you may wish to use
scales to ensure you divide the mixture
equally). Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes
or until the cakes have risen and are starting
to shrink from the sides of the tins.

3

the cakes to cool in the tins for
4 Leave
ﬁve minutes, then turn out onto a wire
rack and leave to cool completely. At this
stage, you can wrap the sponges in a layer
of cling ﬁlm and tin foil and store overnight
before assembling the cake.
To make the cream cheese icing, take
an electric whisk or freestanding mixer
ﬁtted with the paddle attachment and beat
the butter until very soft. Add the cream
cheese and beat brieﬂy until incorporated.

5

Gradually add the icing sugar and mix
until you have a smooth, glossy icing.
Do not overbeat the mixture or the icing
may become runny. Use immediately, or
refrigerate for up to two days in an airtight
container (bring the frosting back to room
temperature before using).

6

To assemble the cake, ﬁrst trim the
sponges ﬂat (save the trimmings for
later). Place one sponge on a cake board and
spread with a layer of the icing. Top with the
second sponge. Spread this with a layer of
icing, then top with the ﬁnal sponge. Next,
spread the entire cake with a thin layer
of icing (this ‘crumb coat’ should prevent
crumbs getting into the top layer of icing).

7

Place the cake in the fridge for at least
30 minutes to set the crumb coat.
Remove the cake from the fridge and use a
palette knife to cover the top and sides with
a thicker layer of icing.

8

To create the ‘ribboned’ effect on the
sides of the cake, hold a small palette
knife horizontally against the bottom of the
cake and gradually drag it around the whole
cake until you are back to where you started.
Move the palette knife to just above this ﬁrst
line and repeat the process. Keep doing this
until you reach the top of the cake.

9

To decorate the top of the cake, take
the reserved cake trimmings and
process brieﬂy in a food processor (if you
don’t have a processor you can crumble
the cake using your ﬁngers). Sprinkle the
crumbs around the top of the cake. Store the
ﬁnished cake in the fridge but bring to room
temperature before serving. It will keep this
way for up to seven days.

Preheat the oven to 170°C, 150°C Fan,
gas mark 3. Using an electric whisk
or freestanding mixer ﬁtted with the whisk
attachment, beat all the ingredients for
the cupcakes for one to two minutes until
smooth and pale in colour.

1

Line the mufﬁn tin with paper cases
and divide the cake mix equally
between them. Place in the oven and bake
for approximately 25 minutes until the cakes
are risen and golden in colour. Remove the
from the oven and leave them to stand in
the tin for ﬁve minutes before transferring
them to a wire rack to cool completely.

2

While you wait for the cupcakes to cool
completely make the buttercream. First
beat the butter until it is very soft. Gradually
incorporate the icing sugar. Add the milk and
vanilla and beat until the mixture is very

3

light and ﬂuffy. Add enough food colouring to
create your desired shade of red.
Trim any domes from the tops of the
cakes so they have a ﬂat surface. To
ice, spoon the buttercream into a piping
bag ﬁtted with a medium sized star-shaped
nozzle. To create a rose effect, start from the
centre of each cupcake, pipe the buttercream
onto the surface, going around in a circle
until you reach the outer edge of the cake.

4

To make the decorations, dust a clean
surface with icing sugar. Roll the readyto-roll icing to about 2-3mm thick and use
the butterﬂy cutter to cut 12 shapes. Remove
these and place on a board or plate to dry a
little before painting with edible gold paint.
Place one on each cupcake and serve. The
cakes will keep in an airtight container at
room temperature for up to ﬁve days.

5

SELL MORE
Add a little food
colour to the batter
for pink cupcakes for
an all-out romantic,
Valentine’s feel

leave the trufﬂes undecorated or simply roll
them in cocoa powder or icing sugar at this
stage. Alternatively, roll in chopped hazelnuts.

before drizzling with melted chocolate. Keep
the trufﬂes in the refrigerator until the last
moment; they will last for up to a week.

If you wish to cover the trufﬂes in
chocolate, the best way to do this is
to sit a trufﬂe in a separate bowl, spoon the
cooled melted chocolate over and then use
two forks to transfer the trufﬂe back onto the
baking parchment.

ALLERGY ADVICE When you are selling
homemade food, like these delicious
Valentine’s Day treats, make sure you label
all products with clear allergy warnings.
For best practice make sure you have a
full list of the ingredients used available to
give to any customers who ask. For more
information on food safety advice, visit the
Food Standards Agency at food.gov.uk

4

5

Top immediately with the freezedried strawberry pieces or refrigerate

SELL MORE
Experiment with
different toppings for
your trufﬂes to suit
the season you’re
selling them in

Put the cream and butter into a
saucepan and heat gently until
the butter melts and the cream reaches
simmering point. Meanwhile, chop or
break up the chocolate and tip into a
large heatproof bowl. Remove the cream
mixture from the heat, then pour it over
the chocolate. Stir the chocolate and cream
together until you have a smooth, mixture

1

If you wish you can add ﬂavourings to
the mix at this stage (eg, a tablespoon
of orange zest, brandy, bourbon, rum or
Grand Marnier), or leave plain. Cool the mix
and refrigerate for at least two hours.

2

To form the trufﬂes, use a melon baller
or lightly oiled hands to mould small
amounts of the mixture into balls. Place on
a tray lined with baking parchment. You can

3

Craftseller 47

GOOD CAUSES

Charity bakes
Bake some delicious eats and treats this month to help
raise some cash for these three great charities

Pancreatic
Cancer Research
Bake and Share to help people diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer
Celebrity chef Lorraine Pascale has given
a big oven-gloves thumbs-up to the
Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, Bake and
Share event. Whip up scrummy treats to
share with friends, family, colleagues and
neighbours for this fantastic cause.
The charity was set up by Maggie Blanks,
whose husband died of the cancer just three
months after they married. Maggie was
shocked to discover the cancer’s survival
rate was the same as 40 years ago, so she
set up the fund to drive development of an
early diagnostic test. The charity channels

Bakers of all ages
are hosting Bake
and Share events

Pick cakes that
everyone will love
to raise more cash

“Fund 27 cuttingedge projects worth
£4 million”
money into the best UK research, including
27 cutting-edge projects worth £4m.
So, get baking to help – whether you
organise a big community event, or a party
for a few friends, the charity is grateful
for every penny. Log on to craft–seller.
com where you can find a delicious recipe
for fudge brownies, donated by Lorraine
Pascale, to help you get your Bake and Share
event off to a flying start.

48 Craftseller

Join Lorraine
Pascale to help
beat cancer

How you can help
For more information on the Pancreatic
Cancer Research Fund, call 020 8360 1119 or
visit pcrf.org.uk for a fundraising pack

GOOD CAUSES

Dinner 4 Good
Sign up your craft club for a fab feast that
raises cash for excellent causes
If you’re part of a craft club that loves
spending time together, then we think
we’ve found the perfect excuse for you to
get together even more often! You’ll get to
eat fantastic food, enjoy great company and
raise money for your favourite charity too!
Dinner 4 Good is asking groups of friends
to organise a dinner party to raise money
for good causes. The organisation supports
various charities by allowing people to
arrange their dinner parties through its
website. You simply log on to dinner4good.
com and follow the instructions to set up
your event and design your invites. The
invitations are emailed to your guests, who
are then able to make a donation to attend.
The money is paid directly to your charity
of choice, leaving you time to get on with
preparing your feast! We thought this would
appeal to the bakers among you – you could
make your dinner a pie and mash night or

Marie Curie
Cancer Care

Turn your next
dinner party into
a fundraiser!

a more formal dinner party, or you could
get members of your craft club to take it in
turns hosting dinner parties and see how
much you can raise over a year.
Sheila Mackintosh chose to support the
Alzheimer’s Society when she held her
dinner party. She says: “As soon as I heard
about Dinner 4 Good I knew it was for me.
I went on the website and found they’d
made it all really simple. There’s loads of
charities to choose from, and setting up
your personalised ‘dinner page’ only takes
a minute. Your guests get an automatic
invite from the site and can reply online.

Hold a chic French
tea party and sell
delicious macaroons

Host a Tour de France themed party and
raise cash for Cancer Care
This summer, the Tour de France is
coming to the UK, and to celebrate the
world’s largest annual sporting event
hitting our shores, Marie Curie Cancer Care
is asking keen crafters to hold bake sales
throughout 2014 to raise much-needed
funds for its important work.
Marie Curie nurses provide care and
support for people with terminal illnesses
all over the UK. They enable people to
spend their last few weeks and months in
their own homes if they wish, helping them
live as independently as possible. They’re
also a great support for carers of people
with life-limiting illnesses.

So how can you help raise money for
Marie Curie Cancer Care? Well it couldn’t
be more fun! Simply dust off your recipe
books, dig out the cake tins and get baking.

The clever bit is the fact that they can
donate online, so there’s no awkwardness
over asking for, and collecting, the money.
For me it was great. I love cooking and
entertaining and we often have friends for
dinner, but this way I could have a great
night, while feeling virtuous, too.”

How you can help
To ﬁnd out more and choose which charity
you’d like to host for visit dinner4good.com

Holding a bake sale is a fab way of getting
people in your community together for fun
and fundraising. Theme your event to mark
the Tour de France – go for a chic French
theme and bake croissants, macarons
and éclairs, or you could celebrate the
yellow jersey and make yellow cupcakes,
custard slices and lemon tarts! Make sure
you advertise the event well by putting
posters up, getting a mention in the local
newspaper and sending invites through
social media to ensure everyone knows it’s
on. Ask for an entry fee, or charge per slice,
and think of other fun ways to boost your
fund-raising total on the day – like a raffle,
tombola or cake-decorating contest.

How you can help
For more information on Marie Curie Cancer
Care and to register your event, visit
mariecurie.org.uk or call 0845 052 4184

Craftseller 49

MAKE IT

MAKEI TA!
PROF

50p
MAKE FOR

FOR £3-£4

Tweet romance

Make the most of Valentine’s Day with this personalised card – ideal
for shoppers wanting that something special. By Wendy Massey

omance is in the air this month
with our eight pages of gorgeous
Valentine-themed papers. You don’t
need to look far for inspiration, either – it’s
right here in the form of two very different
cards that you can make and sell to your
shoppers. Personalising cards for individual
customers is easy and means you’ll sell more
– and at a premium price, too – meaning you
can make the most of the busy Valentine’s
Day period Start now with our bird card.

Glue the heart in the centre. Stick the
beaks then the birds with sticky pads.

5

Write the sentiment by hand, or print
from a PC. Attach with sticky pads.

Using the ﬁne line pen, create faux
stitching to emphasise the shapes and
letters, add eyes and legs to the birds.

6

8 PAGES

of exclusive
designs

With Love

PAPER COLLECTION

With Love

PAPER COLLECTION

With Love

PAPER COLLECTION

With Love

PAPER COLLECTION

With Love

PAPER COLLECTION

With Love

PAPER COLLECTION

With Love

PAPER COLLECTION

With Love

PAPER COLLECTION

MAKE IT

MAKEI TA!
PROF

MAKE FOR

50p

FOR £3-£5

Love from..?
Some shoppers will want to send a traditional, anonymous Valentine’s
card so make this love heart greeting, too. By Wendy Massey
How to make the
heartstrings card
Using the template on p102 cut out
ﬁve hearts and two sentiments, plus
two rectangles, one each at 13cm x 20cm
(5 x 8in) and 7.5cm x 20cm (3 x 8in), plus
backing pieces the shape of the sentiments.

1

Place the hearts on the rectangle, then
use a sewing machine and long stitch
to sew a vertical line through each heart and
around the edge of the rectangle. Fold each
side of the heart up to create a 3D effect.

2

Glue the large rectangle in place. Put
sticky pads behind the sewn rectangle
and stick in place to the left of the card.
Glue the backing for the music sentiment in
place and position the sentiment on top of it
centrally with sticky pads.

3

With the sewing machine, stitch
the two backing pieces of the tag
sentiment together. Use sticky pads to stick
into place, sticking two pads together to raise
it higher than the rectangle with hearts.

ittle girls will love this fun,
personalised kit bag, with its bright
colours and big bold styling. It’s made
from soft poly cottons and is fully-lined,
making a strong, washable product that will
appeal to mums and grandmas as well! The
quirky fox motif and fun fabrics will really
make it stand out, and with the cute appliqué
lettering there will be no doubt whose bag
it is on the school peg! You can make this
incredibly cheaply if you use up stash-scraps
and rummage through off-cut bargains,
making your proﬁt per sale soar.

How to make the kit bag
1 Cut two rectangles 35.5 x 53.5cm (14
x 21in) of yellow gingham (this includes
2.5cm (1in) seam allowance and 5cm (2in)
top turning). This is the bag lining. Cut four
rectangles 18 x 23cm (7 x 9in) of the ﬂoral
fabric (this includes 1.5cm seam allowance).
Cut two rectangles 18 x 23cm (7 x 9in) out
of red gingham and two rectangles 18 x
23cm (7 x 9in) from yellow gingham.
2 With right sides facing together, stitch
the two large yellow gingham rectangles
along the two long edges and the bottom.
Make sure you leave the top open. This is
the lining of the bag completed.
3 Place two ﬂoral, one red gingham
and one yellow gingham rectangle into
a patchwork pattern of your choice, pin
them together and stitch. Repeat with the
remaining squares to make a front and
back for the bag. Take one of these
completed rectangles and add the detail.

SAFETY FIRST This bag is designed to appeal
to children so it should be made with care.
Always ensure your work is well-stitched
and any loose parts are securely attached.
Remember, if you intend to sell it, there
are strict regulations to adhere to. Visit
craft-seller.com/free-downloads for
advice on child safety.

00 Craftseller
64

4 Iron the Bondaweb onto the lime green
square and place this onto the centre of
the bag front panel. Iron on to attach it to
the bag and use a zigzag stitch to secure
it in place. Iron the bondaweb to the rest
of the appliqué fabrics and on the paper
side, draw out the templates. Draw and
cut four green leaves, a fox and the
name letters.

5 Iron all the shapes onto the front of the
bag and sew all the way around each one,
using the photo as a guide.
6 For the strap loops, cut a strip of red
gingham 25 x 4cm (10 x 1.5cm). Fold the
sides to the middle and fold again so the
raw edges are enclosed. Top stitch sides
together. Cut this in half so you have two
lengths and fold each of these so the loops
measure 10cm (4in) in length.
7 Place the front and back right sides
together, slot the loops into the bag (raw
edges of loops to the side). Position loops
2.5cm (1in) up from the bottom. Sew the
front and back of the bag together leaving
the top open. Turn to the right side and place
lining into the bag (wrong sides together).
8 Press the raw edges in slightly so that
they won’t show, then fold again creating
a 2.5cm (1in) channel. Stitch, leaving a gap
at each side of the channel to thread the
straps through. Below each gap make a
3.5cm (1½in) buttonhole.
9 Cut the cording in half. Thread one
half all the way around the channel,
through the button hole and tie securely
through the strap loop. Repeat with the
other cord going the opposite way around
the bag channel.

SEW IT

Craftseller 65

MAKE IT

1

3

2

OVER

Fab freebies

£1050
OF PRIZES
TO WIN

Be inspired by these gorgeous giveaways, and enter today
for your chance to walk away with a fab prize!

4

5

12 prizes
TO WIN!

1

ENJOY A GOOD READ
Win one of ﬁve pairs of GMC knitting titles,
When Bad Things Happen to Good Knitters
(£14.99) by Marion Edmonds and Ahza Moore
to guide you through any knitting mishaps,
plus Melissa Leapman’s Knit Stitch Pattern
Handbook (£12.99) of 300 stitch patterns.
Visit thegmcgroup.com
To enter, text GMC followed by your
name, address and email to 87474*

2

KEEP IT SAFE
We have ﬁve of these handy 20 x 43 x
37cm lightweight but durable bags (£30) from
HobbyGift up for grabs. Ideal for storing and

GET YOUR CRAFT FIX
Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts have a pair
of tickets to offer 10 lucky readers (£9) to their
fantastic show at the SECC, Glasgow, 6-9 March
2014. Don’t miss the latest craft supplies, free
workshops, talks and demonstrations!
Visit ichfevents.co.uk
To enter, text SECC followed by your
name, address and email to 87474*

4

WRAP IT UP
This spring, attract shoppers by presenting
your makes in a rustic wooden basket, or
wrapped in pretty pink and lilac trimmings. We
have six lovely bundles, worth £25, to win.
Visit easyﬂoristsupplies.co.uk
To enter, text WRAP followed by your
name, address and email to 87474*

5

GO NUTS
Win one of 12 gorgeous, colourful twine
packs (£9) from the lovely people at Nutscene.
Visit nutscene.com
To enter, text TWINE followed by your
name, address and email to 87474*

7

6

WIN IT

6 prizes

*Melt & Pour soap kits are suitable for most ages including children, with adult supervision. Melting the soap-base requires the
use of either a microwave or a hob. Always supervise children when they are required to use kitchen utensils and appliances.

TO WIN!

8

6

SCRUB-A-DUB-DUB
If our soap letter project in last issue got
your creative juices ﬂowing, enter to be in
with a chance of winning one of six woodlandthemed Melt and Pour soap kits* (£18.99).
Perfect even for beginners, this kit includes
everything you need for sweet-smelling soap.
Visit soapkitchenonline.co.uk
To enter, text SOAP followed by your
name, address and email to 87474*

7

GET IN THE MOOD
Get into the Valentine’s spirit with a fun
knicker-making kit (£15) from Flo-Jo Boutique.
To celebrate the festival of ﬂirtation, Flo-Jo
have created three Valentine’s-themed kits just
for you, and we have three to give away. Each
one contains everything you need.
Visit ﬂo-joboutique.co.uk
To enter, text KNICKERS followed by your
name, address and email to 87474*

8

BE A WEBSITE WIZARD
Win one of two copies of WebPlus X7
(£89.99) from award-winning creative
software developer, Serif. WebPlus X7 comes
with everything included so even if you have
no experience you’ll be able to create a unique
professional-quality website.
Visit serif.com/webplus
To enter, text SERIF followed by your
name, address and email to 87474*

* Terms and conditions apply: The Promoter is Immediate Media Company Bristol Limited. Entrants must be UK residents aged 18 years or older. Texts will be charged at 25p plus your
standard network tariff rate. To enter by post: write your name, address and chosen freebie on the back of a postcard and send to: Craftseller 33, Immediate Media Company, 9th Floor,
Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN. By entering this competition you are agreeing to receive newsletters, offers and promotions by post, email and telephone from Immediate
Media Company Ltd and the prize providers sending offers and newsletters to you by post, email or phone. You can unsubscribe from these at any time. If you do not want to receive this
information please add the words ‘NO INFO’ at the end of your text message or write ‘NO INFO’ on your postcard. Closing date for entries is 11.59pm on 12/02/14. For the full terms and
conditions visit craft-seller.com/competitions

Craftseller 69

CRAFT SELLER’S DIARY

Diary of a craft
selling mum
Every month, craft seller and mum of two, Erica Martyn, who makes
toys for her business Odds & Soxlets, invites us into her world…

All about me
I am 34 years old, and mum to three-year-old Harry
and baby girl, Lottie Rose! I have a husband called
Martin and a naughty but very sweet 12-year-old
Yorkshire Terrier called Mr Biggles. We live in Dorset
and I began my business in May 2011. I’m still
learning heaps, while at the same time juggling
home life, ﬁnances, and the needs and demands of
my growing family and my customers…

We’re going to take a week off. It’s official.
Really, I am going to do it! And no cheating
with emails, calls, sewing, researching or
worrying! I am a bit rubbish about taking
a break for anything longer than two days,
but when Martin suggested that we need
some uninterrupted family time, I found
myself agreeing. Normally, I run through
a huge list of things I need to do before I
answer with a ‘no’. But as much as I have
to be disciplined about work, I have to be
disciplined about time off, too.

Okaaaaay… I’m not sure that sitting
on the M25 in rush hour traffic
after a four-hour trip down a jampacked and drizzly M4 is doing
much for our stress levels! Harry’s
‘I need a wee’ and Lottie’s crying
is nearly pushing us over the edge.
I never thought I’d say this but
thank goodness for motorway
service stations. Lincolnshire here
we come and you’d best be kind
to us, we’re feeling fragile!

CRAFT SELLER’S DIARY

Day 12
Relaxed, rested and raring to go!
Feel energised and inspired after
our lovely chilled-out time away. I
have a load of ideas and a backlog
of work I need to get cracking
on… What’s this? An inset
day? Another one?! On top
of the one we just had two
weeks ago?! I do feel for
people who don’t have
understanding employers
because all these inset days,
half terms and holidays, not to mention
sick days, really do add up. Harry, though,
was delighted with his day off and spent the
time reading Lottie stories and building her
towers, which was so cute to watch.

Pip Lottie is
made using
Lottie’s ﬁrst
baby clothes

Day 13
Right, I really am ready to get on with
things now. The last few months have
been crazy with the Peepos Monster Face
t-shirts. They are proving so popular,
all my evenings are spent in front of the
printing press instead of the TV. This is
one job that has to be done when both
kiddies are in bed as the heat press could be
dangerous around small children. While I
activate the designs to be cut, Martin gets
all the vinyl ready and then picks out all the
unwanted bits. I then add the designs to the
t-shirts while Martin uses the heat press to
set the designs. Team work all the way!

it’s just out of the question. However, I have
found a way to get my fix of fairs with the
brilliant Gillingham Craft Fair. No mud,
no cold and no rain! It’s a virtual craft fair
with the creative folk of Gillingham here
in north Dorset. I add 12 of my products
to their website for free and just pay 10%
commission on sales I make. They promote
my goods on social media and in magazines
and then, if all goes well with the website,
they plan to open a bricks and mortar shop
in Gillingham. This could be a very exciting
venture to be involved in.

Day 25
I’ve been thinking
lots about knitted
hats. Just thinking
mind, not actually
knitting because
I can’t knit! I’ve
tried but because I
can’t do it immediately,
I get impatient and give up!
Lottie has a beautiful little hat made by my
sister’s mother-in-law and it’s just the
kind of product I’d like to have under my
Odds & Soxlets brand. We’ve had a meeting
and we’ve decided to work together. She’ll
provide me with knitted hats for all ages
and we hope to develop a range of knitted
hats for my new fabric doll, too. One day I
really will learn to knit, but just not yet..!

Day 18
I practically swooned when I received the
post this morning! In it was a handmade toy
I ordered for Lottie. I love supporting other
handmade businesses, and finding Happy
Bunny on Facebook made me a very happy
bunny! I chose a gorgeous keepsake bunny
and gave them some of Lottie’s first clothes
to make it out of and I’m delighted with the
results. For now, the bunny will sit on my
windowsill to be admired and in years to
come, I’ll give ‘Pip Lottie’ to Lottie herself.
Sitting in traﬃc was
not the best start to
Erica’s family holiday

Day 20
I’ve been really missing the buzz of craft
fairs recently, but with Lottie still so little

Erica can’t wait
to start selling
knitted hats

Craftseller 71

UPCYCLE IT

UPCYCLE IT

MAKEI TA!
PROF

10
MAKE FOR £

FOR £ 30

From junk to funk
Map-inspired homewares are still great sellers, so get in on the
trend with this quick and easy project. By Claire Watkins

ive an old lampshade a new lease
of life with this easy upcycling
project. The map we’ve used here
is a Bartholomew cloth map found at a boot
sale – it has a thin, material backing which
makes it easier to stick to the original shade
and the folds produce a lovely panelled look.
You could use more modern maps though,
and if you’d rather have a smoother ﬁnish,
look for ones that are rolled, not folded.
The lampshade base is an old cream drum
shade which was still in good condition. If
your shade is a bit battered, you’ll need to
remove the fabric and recover it with speciﬁc
material that has been safety tested – visit
needcraft.co.uk for fabric, tools and advice on
recovering wire lampshades.

How to make the map lampshade
Lay out your map with the backing
facing up. Starting on one edge, place
the shade onto the map and mark the top
and bottom of the lampshade. Continue to
roll the shade along the map, marking the
top and bottom until you’ve wrapped the
entire shade. If your map is too narrow to
wrap around your shade in one go, mark out
the remaining missing pieces on another
section of your map. If this is the case, be
aware of the fold lines on the map and how
they will look when in place. If necessary,
use two maps to produce an even ﬁnish.

1

Once you’ve completed steps 1, 2 and
3, leave the shade to dry for an hour
or two. When it’s completely dry, trim off
any excess pieces of map hanging over the
edges. To create a professional ﬁnish and
hide any uneven or raw map edges, use a
hot glue gun to stick the ribbon to the top
and bottom edge of the shade.

4

To get an idea of how your shade
will look when it’s ﬁnished, wrap it in
the map paper and hold in place at the top
with clothes pegs. Once you’re happy with
the positioning, trim off any excess map so
that the piece, or pieces, are ﬂush with the
top and bottom of the shade.

2

Starting at the seam of the lampshade
material, apply a good amount of PVA
glue with a small brush. Once you have
covered the shade with glue, stick the map
down, making sure it’s on straight. Hold the
glued map in place while you’re working
by placing clothes pegs at the top and the
bottom of the shade. Carefully smooth out
any air bubbles as you go along.

3

SELL MORE
Offer a personalised
service and use
maps that have
special signiﬁcance
to the shopper

Craftseller 73

KNIT IT

Twit twoo!
Owl designs are still phenomenally popular, so knit this cosy cushion
and you’re sure t’woo some shoppers! By Angela Turner

his ingenious knit will ﬂy out of
the door as owls are sure to sell
well at any time of the year. We
love this design – its tasselled ears and the
slight angle of the wings give him a rather
jaunty air. The natural alpaca and wool blend
creates a lovely warm ﬁnish to the cushion
and with its easy stitches, this is one simple
knit that you'll want to try more than once!
What's more, this versatile design will ﬁt
into any room in the house – it would make
a lovely bed cushion for a child’s room, or
a cosy feature for an easy chair in a warm
kitchen. The ﬂufﬁness of the alpaca and wool
blend make this an ideal material for winter,
but to make some for summer selling, use a
merino aran yarn in crisp, bright colours.

ABBREVIATIONS
pattern
Patt:
stitch(es)
St(s):
knit two together
k2tog:
k2tog tbl: knit two together through
the back loop

76 Craftseller

How to make the cushion
FRONT AND BACK

TASSELS (make 2)

Cast on 57sts in purple.
First row: Knit.
Next row: Purl.
Change to grey.
Next row: Knit.
Next row: Purl.
Cont working 2 row stripe patt till 11 purple
stripes have been worked.
Change to red.
St-st 30 rows.
Cast off.
Press lightly. Sew seams together leaving a
5cm (2in) gap in the bottom. Turn right side
out. Add ﬁlling, starting with the top corners.
Sew gap together.
For the beak, cut a diamond shape 5 x 3.5cm
(2 x 1½in) from yellow felt then nip the top
of the diamond off. Place on front centre of
cushion, with the top of the diamond lined up
with the ﬁrst row of red. Sew in place. Cut 2
9cm (3½in) circles for eyes using white felt.
Place on owl, partly onto stripe pattern, either
side of beak. Sew in place. Sew buttons onto
white felt in line with the top of the beak,
slightly closer to the edge nearest the beak.

Using one strand of purple and one grey,
wrap the yarn round four ﬁngers 20 times.
Remove yarn and run a length of yarn inside
the yarn circle to the outside and tie in a knot
ﬁrmly. Run another length around the top
section to create the ball at the top of the
tassel. Pull tightly and secure. Cut the bottom
of each circle then trim the ends so that they
are the same length. Sew the tassels to the
top corners of the cushions to ﬁnish.

WINGS (make 2)
Cast on 24sts in red.
Work 4 rows st-st.
Next row: Knit 10, k2tog tbl, k2tog, knit 10.
22sts.
Next row: Purl.
Next row: Knit.
Next row: Purl.
Next row: Knit 9, k2tog tbl, k2tog, knit 9.
20sts
Next row: Purl.
Next row: Knit.
Next row: Purl.
Cont to dec in this way till 4sts.
Next row: Purl.
Next row: K2tog tbl, k2tog. 2sts.
Cast off.
Pin wings in place, each side lining up with
the ﬁrst row of red. Sew along top of wings,
then down the sides three-quarters of the
way, leaving the bottom of each wing to
curl up. Pinch the corners then secure with a
couple of stitches.

TOP TIP
Make custom
cushion pads to ﬁt
your owl so the cover
can be removed
and washed

Play with colourful yarn from your
stash rather than just three shades to
create an eclectic patchwork version.

2
3
4
5
6

Vary the pattern to make a version
ﬁt for a child's bedroom or try a
large ﬂoor cushion.

Group similar items together in a
woodland range – team the cushion
with fox brooches and bird mobiles.
Tell shoppers about your materials
particularly if you choose high quality,
hypo-allergenic or eco-friendly yarn.

Make a natural (and free) gift to
pop into packaging with your business
card such as a sprig of heather tied
with ribbon or a scented pine cone.
Change the embellishments – swap
the tassels for small bells, or stitch on
buttons, pearls or gems for the eyes.

7
8

Sell the cushion blank for a little
extra and save shoppers the bother of
buying their own. You can pick up bulk
cushions wholesale for pounds.

Think child-safety. Shoppers may
want this owl as a gift for a child so
ensure any small parts are extremely
well secured and add a disclaimer stating
that it’s not intended for children on the
info card and on your website.

9
10

Experiment with colour-ways and
make a note of the most popular,
then knit extra in these tones.

Offer to stitch the recipient’s
name on the reverse of the owl
for a small charge – it will make
it an extra special and unique gift.

NOW SELLING ON...

Etsy: Mini knitted owl by Eight
Little Fingers, £5

Folksy: Prudence owl cushion by
The Sherbet Patch, £25

Folksy: Printed owl cushion by
Lottie & Gil, £8

Craftseller 77

Only

Re Sup
ad pl
y ied
to
Fi
ll

£3.50

The
Original

PVA Glue Applicator

PLUS P & P

An invaluable tool for all sorts of crafts where a small
amount of PVA Glue is needed.
Supplied Ready to Fill with your own preferred brand of
PVA White Glue, Wood Glue, Gem-Tac, Fray Stop, or
Gutta for Silk Painting,
Can be used with Fine Glitter
or Flower Soft. Used with Fray
Stop it makes easy work of
hemming fabrics.
Wonderful for Card Making.
The 0.5mm metal tip delivers a
precise line or dot of glue just where you need it.

For clean, professional looking work
with no waste and no messy glue marks!
“Easily the most useful tool in my craft box,
not sure how I survived this far without one!”
Worldwide secure mail order service

The popular
Exhibition for
card makers,
paper crafters and
beadworkers
Celebrate 10 years of Make it in
2014 with three fun-filled
days of craft inspiration.
Make it a date in
your diary
28 February - 2 March 2014,
10am–5pm (3.30pm Sunday)
FIVE, Farnborough, Hants

Book in advance
and save
1 day adult pass £7.50,
1 day concession pass £6
Concession, over 60, registered disabled & students

3 day adult pass £15,
3 day concession pass £12
3 day pass offered on a “three for the price of two”
basis – only available in advance

Handmade
with love
Inject some passion and personality into your
makes and get in on the trend for handmade
Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day cards. By Holly Johnson

SELL IT

D

id you know that Valentine’s
cards are one of the most popular
greetings cards, second only
to Christmas? According to research
conducted by the Greeting Card
Association (greetingcardassociation.org.
uk), “The UK public continues to show its
romantic side with Valentine’s Day sales
increasing to £41.5m in 2011, up from
£40.7m in 2010.” The stats also show that
shoppers spend more money on Valentine’s
cards than any other type of greeting card
during the year, so with V-day on the
horizon, it’s time to think about how to
make your cards stand out from the crowd
and tempt romantic shoppers.

for a large number of cards to be printed.
So, I can make a small number of a design
I’m not sure of, and see if it sells. I’m often
surprised when a card I wasn’t sure of
becomes a best seller!”

Make it unique

Designed for you
We all know that nothing says ‘I love you’
like a card or gift that is created just for
you, but many people lack the time or skill
to make something themselves. After the
expense of Christmas, February is also a
time when we’re watching our pennies.
“People may not be able to afford to splash
out on a big present, but shoppers see a
nice Valentine’s card as a ‘must-buy’ for
their loved one,” says Cath Davies, editor
of Quick Cards Made Easy magazine.
“Rather than choosing a pre-designed card
off the shelf, a personalised, handmade
card shows that the message inside comes
from the heart.”
At Samﬁre Handmade Cards (which
are sold on Etsy, Folksy and in some
independent shops), Louise Burgone has
seen increased demand for Valentine’s
cards that are a little different: “I have
deﬁnitely seen a rise in sales during
February. My ‘love you to the moon and
back’ card is one of my most popular
designs, along with
my heart balloons
personalised with a
loved one’s name.”
Louise avoids
designs that are too
‘cutesy’ which is
perhaps why her
cards appeal to a
wide audience. “My
Valentine’s cards
Louise Burgone’s cards
offer something different
from traditional designs

80 Craftseller

Simple and fun or full of romantic embellishments –
choose your style and start crafting cards for V-day

are increasingly more popular with male
shoppers,” she tells us.
Louise advises keeping your designs
simple to minimise the amount of
time spent on each one (and ultimately

“Shoppers see a nice
Valentine’s card as
a must-buy”
maximise your proﬁts). “I use paper,
scissors, glue and a pen. It seems like a
basic technique, but I think the beauty is
in the simplicity, and it keeps the design
simple, fun, elegant and bright. Also, it
makes me look at my designs in the early
stages and think about
how to keep it simple
when it comes to the
ﬁnal card design. It’s
not cost-effective to
spend two or three hours
making just one card!”
Louise minimises her
outlay by drawing each
card, rather than using
a printing service. “By
not printing my cards I
can take more risks, as
I’m not having to pay

Julie Gibbs, who runs Always With a Heart
(jules-alwayswithaheart.blogspot.co.uk),
uses a range of techniques to create her
romantic designs. “I use stamping, paperpiecing, distress work, die work, wet and
dry embossing and I particularly love to
sew on my cards with a sewing machine
and add different elements like crochet
ﬂowers. Shaped cards are always popular
because they are different to the norm and
that is what people look for – something
different. Valentine’s Day is always special
and is an extra busy time for me.”
Julie has found a unique way to spark
interest in her cards and keep shoppers
coming back for more. “I have a quirky
little thing, that is personal to me, where I
incorporate a heart on every card I make.
This can be big and bold or small and
almost hidden, but people like it and often
spend ages looking for them. I love trying
to ﬁnd different ways to incorporate one.
Shoppers enjoy my blog – if only to hunt for
the heart on my creations.”
After the Christmas rush, January is the
perfect quiet period to spend time at home
working on your card designs. Call on your
own experiences of love and romance to
inject some of your personality into your
creations, or look at the latest trends. “The
vintage, shabby chic look is still going
strong, so work romantic papers into your
designs,” advises Cath. “Typography is
also very popular, so make use of free fonts
on sites like frogprincepaperie.com or
use stencils and alphabet stamps to make
striking, modern designs.”
And as always, make sure your designs
are different. “No two of my cards are ever
the same,” says Julie. “I try to incorporate
things that are a little unusual and keep
my eyes open for unique buttons or ribbons
to use. This means that the cards become
a lovely keepsake and because they are
handmade they are more unique. Money
might be tight, but a well chosen, beautiful
card ﬁlled with romantic words can mean
more than any present.”

SELL IT
1

2

5 ways to make your
cards stand out
1 ADAPT WELL-KNOWN SAYINGS TO MAKE
YOUR CARDS YOUR OWN Depending on your
audience, you could use local slang, ‘txt spk’
or even coded meanings!
2 CREATE A LUXURY RANGE OF CARDS
using sequins and glitter to add eye-catching
sparkle and maximise your proﬁts.
3 MAKE UP YOUR OWN UNIQUE CHARACTERS
A pair of foxy lovers, a duo of loved-up deer or
a cute caterpillar couple!
4 PAPER IS SO YESTERDAY! Why not use up
scraps of fabric from your stash to create a
range of keepsake cards?
5 OFFER A PERSONALISED SERVICE
Ask buyers to send you a list of things that
mean something to them as a couple.
Incorporate maps, music or favourite
memories and love stories into their card.

4

1 This bespoke stamp is perfect
for couples who love to keep
things simple. Custom Stamp
for Stationery by Pretty Chic on
etsy.com, £23.82
2 Check out the pretty fabrics
at thelinengarden.co.uk to
create a keepsake range 3 Add
vintage charm to your cards
in seconds with Garden Washi
Tape from Fox and Star, £5.25
4 Julie Gibbs ﬁnds that shoppers
often frame her designs.

We design and make our own range of Dorset button kits, from simple buttons to beautiful pieces of jewellery.
We hold workshops felting, knitting, crochet, button making, spinning and lots of other wool related craft.
We provide a personal service to help you, from choosing your next project to ďŹ xing that dropped stitch.

We at the bead pot love beads and creating
and sharing all this with our customers...
We pride ourselves on our
unique and stylish beads from all
over the world, including glass
beads, wooden beads, Swarovski
Crystals and much more. We
are always striving to ďŹ nd more
fun and exciting new products to
share with our beading family.
support@beadpot.co.uk

01227 784844

Âś+DEHUGDVKHU\+HDYHQÂˇ

+LJK6WUHHW
0DLGHQKHDG
6/-1
)LQGXVRQ)DFHERRN

www.beadpot.co.uk

ZZZVHZFUDIW\VHZLQJFHQWUHFRXN

The Bead Pot, 50 Palace Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2DY

If you want a friendly, affordable & easy to use website to sell
your creations then Crafters Boutique is for you!

hese lovable fabric birds are perfect
to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year,
and as lots of people will be popping
the question on the 14th, our vintage-styled
love birds make perfect decorations for
engagement parties or even wedding cake
toppers. Made with a mixture of natural
coloured linen, cotton fabric and needle
felting, these birds have a rustic charm – and
with their very smart little outﬁts they are a
match made in heaven! If shoppers want to
buy the birds for a wedding, you can custommake them in colours or fabrics to match
their theme. You could even personalise them
by sewing on the names of the happy couple.

86 Craftseller

3 Sew the long sides of the front shape
to the front sides of the body shape so the
pointy end meets the neck.

4 Sew the fabric tail shapes to the linen
tail shapes with right sides facing together
and leave the bottom edge open. Turn to the
right side and iron ﬂat.
5 Pin the back shape to the back of the
body with right sides together. Use the
straight end to overlap the straight end of
the front shape by about 1cm (½in). Sew
from here to about 2cm (¾in) from the
curved end so there is a gap big enough to
put the tail end into. Turn to the right side.
6 On each bird, push the end of the tail into
the gap at the back and sew in place making
sure you fold in the edges of the fabric to
make it neat. Then stuff the bird with toy
ﬁlling until it is quite solid.

SEW IT

TOP TIP
Make hanging décor
by adding a ribbon
loop, or enlarge the
templates to sew
a bird doorstop

7 With the pliers, bend the wire downwards
at 90°. Then at about 3.5cm (1½in) along,
bend the wire another ninety degrees. At
about 5.5cm (2¼in) down the length of the
wire, bend it forward at ninety degrees and
do the same the other side to form the legs.
Bend each end into a heart shape and with
the wire cutters, snip the ends at the back.

9 Sew each fabric wing shape to a linen
wing shape with right sides together and,
leaving the bottom edge open, turn so that
the right side is facing out. Sew up the gap
and iron ﬂat. Attach the wings onto each side
of the body by sewing an overstitch on the
front of the wings.
10 For each beak, fold a thin 5cm length of
the pink roving in half and then in half again.
Stab with the needle to make a beak shape
and leave the end ﬂuffy. Stab the ﬂuffy end
into the bird’s head until it is ﬁxed.

12 Wrap the pink ribbon round the male
bird’s neck and tie into a neat bow at the
front. Sew a couple of stitches at the front
and back to secure the bow in place. Wrap
the beading round the female bird’s neck so
the ends are at the back. Secure in place by
sewing a couple of stitches in between the
beads at the back and at the front.
13 To make the rosette, fold the lace ribbon
in half with wrong sides out and sew the
ends together using an overstitch. Turn inside
out. Sew a running stitch along the bottom
edge of the lace ribbon and pull the thread
so the lace gathers up into a rosette shape.
Tie the thread ends together and sew the
rosette in place on the female bird’s head.

11 Sew the black beads onto either side of
the head as eyes, using the photo as a guide.
Sew three pink beads down the front of the
male bird’s shirt as buttons.

14 Using fabric glue, stick one felt heart
shape to the male bird’s jacket and the other
to the female bird’s rosette.
8 Push the top of the legs in the gap on
each bird and add a layer of toy ﬁlling over
the wire. Sew up the gap to secure the wire
legs in place. You may need to adjust the
legs slightly to make sure the bird stands.

SAFETY FIRST These birds are not intended
as toys, or for young children. Always
ensure your work is well-stitched and any
loose parts securely attached. Remember,
if you intend to sell it, even if it is not
sold as a toy, there are strict regulations
to adhere to. Visit craft-seller.com/freedownloads for advice on child safety.

Get ahead of the game. Lots of
couples will get engaged on Valentine's
Day so make sure you start promoting
these lovebirds now, as engagement gifts.

2
3
4
5
6

Create one-offs. This design suits the
wedding market, or create one-offs in
various fabrics to target other buyers.

Offer an embroidery service where
you add the recipients’ names onto
each bird for a set price per letter.
Go vintage. Shoppers will pay a
premium for the genuine article so
use vintage fabrics and trims.

Save cash and raid your stash for
the ribbons, buttons, beads and fabric
scraps that are needed to make these.
Choose popular patterns – tartan is
hot at the moment so try different
plaid hues for fashion-savvy buyers.

7
8

Little and large these birds. Make
super-cute mini versions or go maxi for
big-is-beautiful homeware.

Hide your little birds in nests made
from shredded brown tissue paper for
a sweet packaging idea. With Easter
around the corner this is a great way to
present chic spring versions, too.

9
10

Keep your ﬁnish impeccable – we
all know wedding shoppers want
everything to be ‘perfect!’ so don't let
them down with rushed stitching.
Broaden your market by creating
some little chicks to accompany
the love birds – they'll appeal to
the ‘new baby’ buyer as well as families!

Scarf face
I want to make my 12-year old son a scarf but
he thinks they’re not something boys should
wear. How can I prove him wrong?!

Q

MANDY TOFT, BY EMAIL
Lisa Bogart – designer, knitting tutor and
author of Knit With Love: Stories to Warm a
Knitter’s Heart – admits she had the same problem.
‘My son Zach, who is at university, wasn’t very
keen on scarves, so I came up with a few geekchic designs for him. This QR Key scarf is knitted
in the round so it is extra toasty plus can actually
be scanned by a smartphone to reveal a hidden
message. Go to knitty.com/ISSUEff13/PATTqrkey.
php for the pattern. Chart A is ‘My Scarf!’ and Chart
B is ‘Love Mum’. I know which one is my favourite!”

A

Cash register?
I currently work full-time but I make cushions as a hobby, usually just for
me. I have sold a few to friends but once material costs have been deducted,
I haven’t made any money. I’ve decided to start producing more and selling my
work on Etsy. Should I let the tax oﬃce know about this and should I inform
them of the previous sales that I have made?

Q

MRS VERA CRISSMAN, CASTLE DONINGTON, LEICESTERSHIRE
HM Revenue & Customs say, “Vera’s initial sales of cushions to friends
are not classed as trading. It lacks commerciality and she does not set out
to make a proﬁt. The occasional sales are a by-product of her hobby. However,
once she begins to auction her cushions, she has moved into the realms of
commerciality. She is systematically selling her goods to make a proﬁt. She will
need to inform HMRC about her trade, and keep records of all her transactions.
If turnover stays well below £26,000, Vera does not need to register for VAT.” For
more information please visit hmrc.gov.uk.

A

This cool scarf reveals a
hidden message when
scanned by a smartphone!

Craftseller 89

Q&A

FAQ

MY TOP
TEN TIPS

This month our
top Facebook
question is…

Q

I’ve just started
making my own
cards and I keep seeing
cardstock – what is it?
LAUREN

ELSA FUSTERMEARS specialises in

A

contemporary hand
felted designs (Milana
on folksy.com).

Get permission to make
tube map gifts like these
by Wrapped and Gorgeous

1

Free workshops
are a great way to
promote your work.

2

Ensure your
wholesale
quotes include a
minimum quantity.

3

Price things
correctly and don’t
undersell yourself.

4

Stick to what you
love or it will just
become another job.

5

Talk to everyone
– people can offer
great insights into
future trends.

6
7
8

Offer a wide range
of price points.

Niche is good.
Be daring!

See craft fairs as
‘promoting days’
and you’ll never
be disappointed.

9

Don’t take anyone
for granted. You
never know where a
sale will come from.

10

Don’t be afraid
to express
yourself in your craft.

90 Craftseller

Map it out
I’ve designed cards and bags using the London
Underground tube map. I haven’t asked
anyone’s permission. Am I allowed to sell my work?

Q

little
Make sure ware
a
bakers are fety
of food sa

Cardstock is
heavyweight, thick
paper, and is also known
as coverstock or paste
board. It is used for
items such as greeting
cards, playing cards,
postcards, business cards
and scrapbooking, all of
which require a higher
durability than ordinary
paper. It is usually
smooth but it can also
be metallic or glossy.

BEVERLEY NASH, SURREY
Deﬁnitely not. The Underground map, logo
and the New Johnston font, which is the
typeface used by London Transport, are protected
by copyright. The distinctive round disc with the
line across the centre is known as the Roundel and
is also a registered trademark. A licence needs to be
obtained from the Intellectual Property Department
to reproduce them. Any unauthorised use of TfL’s
copyright and trademarks is an infringement of TfL’s
Intellectual Property and could lead to legal action.
For more information visit tﬂ.gov.uk

A

Junior bake oﬀ
My 13 year old daughter loves baking and
crafting and is selling at local fairs as a way
to raise pocket money. Are there any rules she
needs to be aware of?

Q

ALISON KITCHING, CAMBRIDGE
It’s important for your daughter to know,
and to implement the food safety standards.
Legislation says that all food businesses must register
their kitchens with their local authority unless they
operate on a ‘casual and limited’ basis only. If she
plans on making an income in this way, contact your
local council and ask them what the rules are in your

A

Display your cakes
on a pretty cakestand
like this one from
Aston Pottery (£39.99)

area, as the laws do vary depending on where you
live. For example, in some places you will need to
become a registered trader even if you only sell your
food occasionally. If you do have to register your
kitchen, it’s free to do so and the council is obliged
to accept your application. She’ll also need to take
a course in food hygiene. You can do this online for
about £15, or your local authority might run formal
training courses. If she is making anything else to
sell check those regulations, too. Toys, for example,
need to satisfy safety requirements and bear the CE
marking. Visit food.gov.uk and tradingstandards.
gov.uk for more information.

Q&A

ESSENTIAL CRAFT TOOL
glue spoiling my work! The
coated stainless steel tip
puts a 0.5mm line or dot of
glue precisely where I want
it and when I’m not using
it, I store it upside down in
a jar with the pin in place to
keep the air out of the glue.
I’m still using my 20-year-old
applicators and have even
ﬁlled them with Gem-Tac to
attach gemstones; Fray Stop
to hem fabrics, or wood glue
for intricate wooden items.
It gives a new life to all the
stash I keep hoarding.”

Glass painting
Q

All my efforts at glass painting have been disappointing, with the designs
fading to nothing. Help! What am I doing wrong?

DEBBIE RANDALL, HULL
Glass is a lovely
medium to work with
– it makes a great canvas,
it’s smooth, reﬂects light
and offers the artist a lot
of choices. The results will
depend on the quality of
your glass paint though
so look at transparency,
colour range, permanence
and ease of application. The
Marubu GlasArt Paint range
(hobbycraft.co.uk, from
£2.69) is high-quality, highintensity and fade-resistant.
Once fully painted, bake
your design at 150°C (300°F)
for 30 minutes, allow to
cool before handling and
remember the end results
are not dishwasher proof.

A

Search for Craftseller
on facebook.com

You can buy
glass paint at
Hobbycraft,
priced from £2.69

@craftsellermag

LAURA RIGNEY is the founder of
Pitcher House, which helps small
businesses get their products listed
by retailers. She is also the author of
Pitching Products For Small Business
(harriman-house.com, from £2).

Knowing your product before a pitch
“Before you attempt to pitch your product to
any retail buyers, you should know anything
and everything there is to know about it.
You should be a walking encyclopaedia, with
knowledge of how the product is made, where
it’s made, what materials are used and the length
of time it takes to manufacture. You’ll need to
ensure that it complies with any relevant UK
safety standards, and, if manufactured abroad,
you’ll also want to know the length of time it
takes to arrive in the UK.
It’s important to learn all of this information
so that no matter what questions a buyer asks,
you have the answer implanted ﬁrmly in your
brain. This will show that you are professional,
organised and know what you are talking about,
and it also shows that you are ready to introduce
your product to the mass market.
When pitching to a store, it’s also imperative
to be well informed about their business. If
you have knowledge regarding their buying
cycles, their current product range and where
your product would ﬁt into their catalogues and
onto their store shelves, this shows that you are
professional and genuinely interested in being in
business with them.
If you’re wondering where you can get
information on retailers, simply call and request
details on their buying cycles or explain that
you would like to approach a buyer with your
products but don’t want
to waste their time
and would appreciate
knowing when’s best in
the year to make your
introduction. You should
ﬁnd that the receptionists
are willing to supply you
with the answers. After
all, it makes their lives a
little easier, too. “

“What I love about this
applicator is that I can
use it on so many things.
Cardmaking, quilling,
marquetry, dolls’ house
miniatures and even henna
hand painting - you name it,
this applicator has helped me
approach all these precision
projects with conﬁdence.
I’ve always found other
methods, such as using a
cocktail stick, messy but this
applicator comes ready to
ﬁll, is easy to squeeze and
there are no shiny trails of

GUEST EXPERT

MAKE IT

MAKEI TA!
PROF

£3
MAKE FOR

FOR £13

TOP TIP
You have to handle
the heart a lot while
you make it so check
the shape once
you’ve ﬁnished

92 Craftseller

MAKE IT

Make a crafty tenner
A beautiful love token that will add charm and sparkle to your
Valentine’s Day range. By Dorothy Wood

How to make the hanging heart
Using pliers, bend the 1.25mm wire in
half to form a sharp V-shape. Starting
about 9cm (3½in) from the V-point, bend
one side of the wire around a 6cm (2¼in)
diameter bottle to shape the top of the
heart. Bend the other side of wire around
the same bottle but in the opposite direction
so that both sides are level.

1

Use snipe-nose pliers to bend the wire
at a right-angle at the top of the heart
shape on both sides. Beginning at the bend,
wrap one of the wires around the other
three times, keeping the coils horizontal.

2

Trim the excess wire at the back. Trim
the long tail to 1cm (½in). Bend over
above the coils at a right angle. Use roundnose pliers to shape into a loop for hanging.

3

Pick up a bell on the 0.4mm wire
and drop down to the middle. Twist
the bell between ﬁnger and thumb once
to secure on the wire. Hold the bell at the
bottom of the heart and wrap the ﬁne wire
around the wire heart once.

4

W

ire is an inexpensive material that
can be bent and shaped to make
all sorts of homewares, and it’s
the perfect medium for the canny craft seller!
This project uses fairly thick craft wire shaped
into a heart and embellished with pretty
metal charms to create a hanging decoration
ideal for a window or wall. Great for your
Valentine’s Day sales, but with heart motifs
and gifts being such a popular trend on the
craft market and the high-street, you could
include this in your range all year-round.

Pick up two seed beads on the ﬁne
wire. Hold the ﬁrst seed bead at the
side of the heart shape and wrap the wire

5

around the main wire once, at an angle.
Wrap the wire again to add the second seed
bead on the opposite side of the main wire.
Wrap the ﬁne wire around again,
keeping the wire slanting slightly to
create a helter-skelter pattern. Pick up a puff
heart charm and drop down to the main
wire heart. Twist the charm to secure and
then add two more seed beads as in step 5.

6

Work up the wire heart, adding bells
and heart charms alternately with two
seed beads between each. Use the other
end of the wire to embellish the other side
of the heart in the same way. Remember
that you don’t want the design to be too
symmetrical so add the charms at random.

7

Wrap both tails around at the top of
the heart. Pre-form a wrapped loop
then pick up the star charm and wrap the
tails around above the charm to secure. Snip
off and ﬁle the tails to ﬁnish.

8

String a length of leather thong through
the loop. Wrap several times with
0.4mm wire to secure, then trim the short
tail neatly and wrap wire over to cover the
raw end. Now ﬁnd a good spot to hang it!

9

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Craftseller 93

FELT IT

More ways
than one..

Fall in love with these colourful felt fancies – they’re enough to get
anyone’s heart pumping this Valentine’s Day! By Jess Byrne

How to make the decorations
Table confetti:
1 Cut 50 small hearts using as many
different colours of felt as you like.

2 Sew two hearts together using a simple
blanket stitch in contrasting thread.
Hanging decoration
1 Cut out 10 large heart shapes. Decide on
the order that you want them in.

2 Using a sewing machine, sew the hearts
together with a straight stitch.
3 Using just a couple of stitches add a loop
of ribbon with a button to the top and bottom

S

oft felt is a wonderful fabric to work
with – it won’t fray and is available
in many beautiful colours that don’t
cost a bomb. It’s substantial, so you don’t
have to line it and it’s so wonderfully tactile,
that customers love its plump, gentle feel.
The beautiful bouquet would make a great
centrepiece for a Valentine dinner, and the
little table confetti hearts make a romantic
touch when sprinkled over a pure white
tablecloth. The heart garland could be strung
like bunting or just left to hang vertically. It
won’t take you long to cut these sweet hearts
and you’ll see how quickly the projects take
shape when you piece them all together.

TOP TIP
For a colourful,
contemporary look use
lots of different shades
of felt from the same
colour family

96 Craftseller

ts of
o
l
e
k
a
M
for a
flowers nd
plump a uet
ouq
pretty b

of the garland, as a decorative way to hang
your string of hearts.
Heart bouquet:
1 Cut 10 medium heart felt shapes for
each ﬂower. Cut the 1m (40in) felt stem into
varying lengths.

2 Take a heart and hot glue it around a stem
so it is wrapped in place. Glue the next heart
in place so it is overlapping the ﬁrst heart.
Continue with all 10 hearts.
3 Repeat for the other stems, making the
bouquet as plump as you like. Wrap ribbon
around the bouquet and glue.

The craft fair sellers
Once the nerves had passed, Charlie found selling
at fairs a richly rewarding experience

CHARLIE DEIGHTON
From Bristol

WEBSITE
charliedeighton
on etsy.com

TOP TIP
rk
Go to fairs to wo ck
o
st
ch
out how mu
te
you’ll need to crealay
an attractive disp
on your stand

“I’ve always been creative, and have loved the
process of making things from a very young age.
I studied French and Fine Art at university – but
then somehow ended up working as a chartered tax
adviser for 16 years, before taking the plunge last
summer and quitting the day job to pursue my love
of art and crafts. It was the biggest decision I’ve ever
made – but it was also the best.
“I love to use a variety of materials in my designs,
especially handmade paper and beautiful fabrics.
To create my own style I work in a mixture sewing,
drawing and collage techniques. I make a wide range
of products, including cards, decorative items for the
home, small gifts and bespoke rag dolls. Although my
work is diverse, my vision is always to create an overarching simplicity and beauty.
“For me, craft fairs are a wonderful (and essential)
place to network, both with other stallholders and
with customers. They give you, the maker, the
opportunity to promote and develop your brand,
and they allow buyers to meet the people behind the
beautiful products they are purchasing.
“My first craft fair was pretty nerve-wracking
– what you make is deeply personal, and I felt as
though I was putting my soul on the table
for inspection! I love the anticipation and
rush of getting everything set up on
time – and, of course, the delicious
buzz of the day’s first sale.”

“My first craft
fair was pretty
nerve-wracking!”
98 Craftseller

Hook yourself
one of Charlie’s
stylish ornaments

Charlie loves to
mix and match
beautiful materials

MY CRAFT SHOP

The online marketplace

TOP TIP
u
Learn more if yo g
in
want to start earnills
sk
more! Identify op
you want to devel
and go for it

WILLIAM ODELL
from Surrey

Will’s Dad
inspired his love
of photography

WEBSITE
By William Odell on
swankymaison.com

“It was
a ‘eureka’
moment”

The realisation that he could combine two artistic
talents was a life-defining moment for Will
“My love of photography came from my Dad – he
always had his SLR camera with him so since I was a
child, I’ve taken my camera everywhere with me.
“Landscape photography is my real passion, but I
have always enjoyed painting, too. The day it dawned
on me that I could combine the two passions in my
life was a real ‘eureka’ moment.

“My works start as photographic prints that
are then painted to add depth and stretched onto
canvas. Swanky Maison have supported the growth
of my business – joining them was one of the best
decisions I made. This year, I also started selling at
craft fairs which has been very rewarding. I used to
work in the pharmaceutical industry, managing and
strengthening relationships with clients. I’ve found
these skills very useful at fairs – although the latter
makes my old job look easy!”

The website owner
Susan used a template to build herself the perfect
website – with a minimum of fuss
“I started making handmade cards as a hobby while
serving in the Royal Navy. It was enjoyable, but not
really viable as a sustainable income once I left the
service. So, I diversified and used those same skills to
make personalised guest books, keepsake boxes and
photo albums. I started selling in shops, but realised
that I needed to be online to broaden my audience.
“I set up my website using create.net, which
proved really simple – even for a technophobe!
It almost puts itself together. Using a choice of
templates, you can build a unique website.
“I decided to keep my site bright and cheerful –
and a little bit dotty, of course! I also included lots of
professional photographs of my products.
“The majority of my sales are to the USA and
Canada. I love to think of my wedding guest books at
such special occasions on the other side of the world.
“The highlight of my crafting career to date was
winning a small business award from Theo Paphitis in
2011. It made the long days and hard work worth it!”

Susan Bonnar
from Hampshire

WEBSITE
dottiedesigns.co.uk

Susan’s website
is colourful to
match her designs

TOP TIP

“The majority of
my sales are to the
USA and Canada”

Choose your
business name
carefully – Dottieed
Designs has allow
me to diversify

Craftseller 99

CRAFTY COURSES

Crafty courses
to
Learn how l
rfu
create colou k
r
batik artwo

Why not add a new craft to your skill set? Here are
some of our top courses for you to try this month

Learn batik techniques at
the beautiful Rainbow View

TOP TIP
When starting out in
batik, be bold and
make your designs
large and simple!

Golden Valley Batiks
It’s well known that time spent in
beautiful, natural surroundings enhances
creativity. And settings don’t get much
more better than Rainbow View, the
rural Herefordshire home of batik artist
Manu Song and his partner Edi.
Manu teaches this beautiful art – painting
on cloth using a traditional wax-resist
dyeing technique – from his welcoming
home with its far-reaching rural views of
Herefordshire’s beautiful Golden Valley.
Manu’s residential courses offer plenty
of hands-on experience and are suitable
both for beginners and those wishing to
develop existing skills. Courses include
a general introduction to the art of batik
painting, while others allow you to make

100 Craftseller

your own batik lampshades or create
beautiful batik window blinds.
“The direct dyeing method of batik that
I practice is a practical, versatile and fun
way of creating vibrant, colourful patterns
and images on cloth,” Manu explains. “We
get people of all ages and abilities trying
our workshops, from beginners doing it for
pleasure to professional artists seeking to
add to their skills repertoire.”
Courses run over two days, midweek or at
weekends. Accommodation is comfortable
and simple, with cosy wood-burning stoves
and plenty of delicious homemade food.
By the end of the course, participants will
have their own beautiful batik creations – as
well as some brand new creative skills.

Stamping Obsession
Sarah Piggott has run craft classes
from her home in Eastbourne ever
since becoming a demonstrator for
the worldwide rubber stamp and
paper crafting company Stampin’ Up!
Cardmaking and rubber-stamping
are the main focus, but learners can
also create jewellery, gift boxes, mini
scrapbooks and much more.
“We use a wide variety of tools and
techniques – there is always something new
to learn!” Sarah explains. Classes take place
in Sarah’s craft studio, which overlooks
her courtyard garden and the atmosphere
is relaxed and friendly. “Some of my ladies

WHY NOT TRY...

much support as they need.” First-timers
also receive a copy of the latest Stampin’
Up! Catalogue, packed full of inspiring
ideas. “The classes provide a few hours of
crafty ‘me-time’ amongst friends,” Sarah
explains, “plus the chance to play with the
latest Stampin’ Up! goodies and leave with
some beautiful projects.
“The attraction of stamping allows you to
be creative, whether you think you’re ‘arty’
or not. Even with limited supplies, you can
create wonderfully clean, simple designs –
or let rip with something more unruly!”

INFORMATION

“Some of my ladies
have been with me
from the start”
have been with me right from the start –
they are a sociable and welcoming group,
ranging in age from early 30s to 60s and
beyond,” she continues. “Most of the group
are seasoned crafters, although beginners
are made to feel very welcome and given as

* Cardmaking classes take place
every second Saturday of the month
(2½ hours, £10) and all materials
are provided. Private classes and
Stampin’ Up! parties available at
weekends and evenings.
* For more information, contact
Sarah on 07970 615390, sarah@
stampingobsession.com or visit
stampingobsession.stampinup.net

Other great craft courses
around the country
Millie Moon
At three sites across Somerset (In Frome,
Wells and Keynsham), this thriving
haberdashery boutique and sewing school
teaches the arts of sewing, cross stitching,
patchwork, dressmaking, embroidery and
almost anything else you could wish for.
Visit milliemoonshop.co.uk
Craftworx
Housed in a lovingly-restored barn on a
working farm in East Yorkshire, Craftworx
is a well-equipped metal clay jewellery
studio. The principal tutor, Tracey Spurgin,
is one of the UK’s best-known metal clay
artists. There’s something for everyone from
Beginner to Master Class workshops. Tracey
even offers one-to-one tuition.
Visit craftworx.co.uk
Chocolate Delight
A scrumptious introduction to the world of
chocolate making, with Saturday workshops
at locations across the UK from London to
Cardiff, Edinburgh to Bournemouth.
Visit chocolatedelight.co.uk
Waunifor Crafty Breaks
Take a break with a residential course in
pottery, ceramics, mosaics, bead jewellery
and much more. You’ll stay in one of six
stone cottages surrounded by gardens
and wildlife areas in an unspoilt corner of
Carmarthenshire, west Wales.
Visit craftybreaks.com

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FAVOURITE MAKES

Online loves

Here are just some of our favourite makes from the exciting
designers and crafters we’ve discovered this month

Accessories

Bakes

* Treat someone special to Valentine’s fudge,
handmade to a traditional Scottish recipe.

* This funky clutch in fresh minty shades is
on our spring ‘must-have’ list.
* Fold over clutch bag by The Tiny
Totem, £27.40 on etsy.com